Polymesh (POLYX) is a permissioned blockchain designed specifically for regulated assets. It strives to streamline outdated processes and pave the way for new financial instruments by addressing challenges related to governance, identity, compliance, confidentiality, and settlement. POLYX is the native protocol token of Polymesh, used for staking, securing the network, paying transaction fees, and participating in governance. Polymesh's architecture allows for the recording of security token transfers, eliminating the need for third-party verification of ownership information. This aims to bridge the information gap between token holders and issuers.

Polymesh operates using a nominated proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which incentivizes node operators and stakers to collaborate in guiding the chain's evolution. Staking aligns the economic interests of both parties through compensation and penalties in POLYX. The mechanism determines which blocks are added to the chain, as well as roles, rules, and incentives. Stakers, who are verified POLYX holders, back their chosen node operators with POLYX, and both parties receive compensation or fines based on the node operator's performance in maintaining their node and following Polymesh rules. Polymesh also integrates built-in financial primitives that enable users to operate the blockchain at fixed costs.

Polymesh is designed to effectively address critical concerns like rule enforcement, identity verification, regulatory compliance, data privacy, and transaction finalization. It enables developers to create decentralized applications (dApps) on the platform, opening up a wide range of potential use cases. Beyond security tokens, Polymesh also extends its support to stablecoins, which can be pegged to various currencies. These stablecoins, issued by authorized and well-capitalized third parties, facilitate cost-effective on-chain activities and efficient cash distributions. Polymesh's approach to identity and compliance makes it a platform for regulated financial instruments.

Polymesh was developed by the Polymesh Association, with a core team consisting of Chris Housser (Head of Strategy), Adam Dossa (Head of Blockchain), Graeme Moore (Head of Tokenization), William Vaz-Jones (Head of Partnership Development), Robert Jakabosky (Head of Applied Blockchain Research), Francis O’Brien (Head of Developer Relations), and Nick Cafaro (Head of Product). The project was designed to overcome the limitations in Ethereum and other general-purpose blockchains that may hinder the acceptance of security tokens by industries and institutions. The Polymesh Association's focus on regulated assets and its expertise in the ERC-1400, a standard for security tokens proposed by Polymath, aims to strike a balance between global accessibility and regulatory compliance.