Polygon has just achieved something that no one saw coming. It flipped Ethereum into daily transaction fees. For the first time.
On Friday alone, Polygon brought in around $407,100 in fees. Ethereum? About $211,700. It’s almost double.
Activity on Polymarket has exploded and prediction markets are suddenly turning into serious revenue drivers.
- Polygon generated $407,100 in daily fees, surpassing Ethereum’s $211,700 for the first time.
- Polymarket was at the origin of this increase with 15 million dollars wagered on a single category of betting on the Oscars.
- The platform has generated over $1 million in fees generated in the marketplace. Layer 2 network in just seven days.
What is driving the increase in fees?
The reason is simple, Polymarket. The Oscars attracted a large retail stream, with more than $15 million wagered on a single category over the weekend.
Polygon didn’t climb the pricing rankings by accident. Almost all of the recent growth has come from Polymarket activity, which generated over $1 million in network fees in just one week.
Compared to Polymarket, the second largest app on Polygon has barely made a dent.
Polygon vs Ethereum: the numbers behind the change
Over the weekend, Polygon briefly moved up in daily fees before the gap narrowed again, with the two chains trading blows in a tight range.
Polygon just hit an all-time high in daily USDC transactions
And it’s not even close.
Over 12 million daily USDC taxes on Polygon
Every other channel? Below 3MBase, Arbitrum and Ethereum Mainnet barely register pic.twitter.com/SVlf5ci2xm
– Léon Waidmann (@LeonWaidmann) February 17, 2026
Base, Arbitrum and Ethereum Mainnet barely register The reason is practical. Cost. Polygon trades average around $0.0026. On Ethereum, you’re looking at around $1.68. If you are placing several small bets or making quick moves, this difference matters. A lot.
Lower fees mean more volume. More volume means more revenue. It’s that simple.
At the same time, Ethereum is facing its own narrative pressure after large whale movements added volatility concerns. So while Ethereum remains structurally dominant, Polygon proves that consumer-driven activity can quickly shift revenue streams.
The post Polygon Topples Ethereum in Daily Fees as Polymarket’s Oscar Bets Hit $15M appeared first on Cryptonews.
