Polygon Jumps 9% Amid $6.5M Binance-Polymarket Hard Fork Plan, Zcash Rallies 8%

• Polygon (POL) price surged 9.5%, while Zcash (ZEC) gained 7.83% in 24 hours
• Polygon’s proposed hard fork aims to recover 70.49 million POL, worth approximately $6.5 million, linked to the Binance and Polymarket hacks
• MarketCapOf data shows a $3,000 investment in ZEC grew to $7,718, while the same amount invested in POL fell to $2,943 in 2026

Polygon and Zcash are getting immense attention in the altcoin market, with POL climbing more than 9% in 24 hours and ZEC gaining nearly 8%. The rally has brought both cryptocurrencies back into focus, although their performances throughout 2026 tell very different stories. While Zcash has delivered substantial returns, Polygon is dealing with a development that could have notable implications for its network. A proposal involving millions of stolen tokens is now heading for a crucial discussion.

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Polygon Hard Fork Proposal Targets $6.5M Stolen in Binance and Polymarket Hacks

Polygon’s latest rally comes as the network considers an unusual recovery plan following two major security incidents. A Polygon Improvement Proposal, published on November 4, aims to recover approximately 70.49 million POL stolen during separate incidents involving Binance and Polymarket on October 29 and 30.

Of that amount, 46.63 million POL is linked to the Binance hack, while another 23.86 million POL is associated with the Polymarket hack. The tokens were valued at roughly $6.5 million using October 29 prices.

Polygon’s block producers have already restricted transfers from five attacker-controlled addresses. But, the existing arrangement cannot return the assets to their owners.

The proposed Polygon hard fork would address this by moving the blocked balances to verified recovery wallets without changing the total POL supply. It should be noted that the proposal also reveals that attackers attempted to bypass the restrictions, including reportedly offering payments to validators.

The plan is scheduled for discussion at the Polygon Protocol Governance Call on November 5. Approval would be followed by development and testnet rehearsals, potentially taking around two weeks.

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Polygon & Zcash Price Rally, but ZEC Leads the 2026 ROI Race

The latest price movements have placed both cryptocurrencies among the altcoins attracting attention. According to recent data, POL price reached approximately $0.09564 following a 9.5% daily increase. ZEC price, meanwhile, stood near $1,279.84, up 7.83%.

However, a crypto ROI comparison using MarketCapOf reveals a substantial difference in their longer-term returns. Between January 1 and November 5, 2026, a $3,000 investment in Polygon would have been worth approximately $2,943.35, reflecting a 0.98x return multiple.

The same investment in Zcash would have grown to approximately $7,718.36, representing a 2.57x multiple. This leaves ZEC ahead by roughly $4,775 despite POL’s latest recovery.

The POL vs ZEC comparison also raises questions about whether Polygon can close that performance gap. For now, the Polygon price prediction depends partly on whether buyers sustain the rally as the hard fork proposal progresses. The Zcash price prediction faces a different question if investors will continue buying after such substantial gains.

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