Polygon-backed Katana launches private mainnet with upcoming 15% KAT airdrop to POL stakers

Polygon-backed Katana Network has launched its private mainnet, with 15% of its upcoming KAT token supply set to be airdropped to POL stakers on Ethereum.

On May 28, Polygon-backed Katana Network launched its private mainnet Katana aimed at unlocking deep liquidity and sustainable yield across the AggLayer ecosystem. As part of its launch plans, the Katana Foundation announced that approximately 15% of the upcoming KAT token supply will be airdropped to Polygon (POL) stakers on Ethereum, including participants in liquid staking protocols.

A public mainnet release is scheduled for late June 2025. In the meantime, a pre-deposit campaign is active, allowing users to deposit Ethereum (ETH), USD Coin (USDC), Tether (USDT), and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) ahead of the network’s full opening.

Developed by the Katana Foundation and incubated by Polygon Labs and crypto market maker GSR, Katana is aimed at improving capital efficiency across blockchain networks by providing unified, deep liquidity and sustainable yield generation. It uses AggLayer as its canonical bridge and integrates VaultBridge to enable real yield generation. Katana is also the first AggLayer CDK chain to be deployed using the OP Stack, initiating the “multistack era” for AggLayer.

Polygon Labs contributed technical resources to the development, while Conduit supports the chain’s rollup infrastructure and sequencing. GSR is involved both as an advisor and as a liquidity provider to help ensure the chain functions from its earliest stages.

Katana is one of several projects to emerge from Polygon’s AggLayer Breakout Program, an incubator launched in April this year to support high-impact blockchain initiatives building on AggLayer and Polygon PoS. Upon graduation from this program, participating projects commit to distributing between 5% and 15% of their token supply to POL stakers on Ethereum.

Privado ID and Miden were among the earlier projects to graduate from the AggLayer Breakout Program, with both committing airdrops to POL stakers. Now, with the Katana Foundation confirming its airdrop, POL stands poised for a potential rally as investors may look to buy and stake the token in order to qualify for the upcoming KAT distribution. POL token is yet to price in the announcement, currently trading at $0.22 — down 1% on the day and 8% over the past week.