⚡ Sonic Labs Greenlights $200M Token Issuance for Wall Street Expansion

[etfs]

The team behind the Sonic blockchain (ex-Fantom Opera) has just approved a bold $200M issuance of S tokens, aiming to bridge directly into US capital markets with a Nasdaq presence and a TradFi-friendly investment vehicle.

Vote Breakdown

99.99% approval from 105 wallets.

Met quorum: 700M S tokens participating.

Outcome: Sonic now has the greenlight to issue and allocate 200M S tokens.

How the $200M Will Be Used

$100M → Strategic reserve for a Nasdaq PIPE (Private Investment in Public Equity) vehicle.

$50M → Seed a token-tracking ETP with a top-tier ETF provider (> $10B AUM), custodied by BitGo.

$47.7M (150M tokens) → Bootstrap Sonic USA LLC (NY-based team, US CEO, Washington engagement).

Essentially, Sonic is building a TradFi playbook in reverse: instead of TradFi firms buying crypto ETFs, Sonic is issuing tokens to fuel ETFs and investment vehicles.

Tokenomics Reset: From 2018 → 2025

Sonic inherited “2018 tokenomics” from Fantom: the foundation held <3% supply.

Result: no tokens available for partnerships/investments (had to buy on the open market).

Missed opportunities: GameStop, Robinhood, Polymarket partnerships, earlier listings.

By contrast, most L1/L2 teams keep ~50% supply for strategic moves.

Quote from Sonic:

“We have 2018 tokenomics. We need 2025 tokenomics.”

Deflationary Tilt

To offset dilution from the new issuance:

Updating gas fee mechanism.

Increasing share of transaction fees burned.

Goal: reduce net inflation → long-term deflationary pressure on supply.

So yes, new tokens are coming… but Sonic argues it won’t punish holders if burn mechanisms scale with adoption.

Strategic Positioning

Sonic is now part of the US Commerce Department’s blockchain program.

Onchain publishing of US economic data (GDP, inflation, etc.) via Chainlink + Pyth oracles.

Opens doors for:

Macro trading models.

Onchain lenders using real-time economic signals.

Data-driven DeFi innovation.

Current Market Reality

S token down ~69% since launch (Jan 2025).

Market skeptical of rebrands + tokenomics fixes until proven.

Takeaway

Sonic is swinging big: turning Wall Street into a liquidity pipeline, fixing its tokenomics, and betting on real-world data as an edge. If it lands a Nasdaq ETP + PIPE vehicle, it could carve out a unique niche.

The question: Is this a smart TradFi-crypto hybrid strategy… or just dilution dressed up as “tokenomics 2025”?

[Maxwell]

Very bold move by Sonic! Going straight into Nasdaq/PIPE territory flips the usual crypto → TradFi flow on its head. If they execute, it could position S as one of the few chains with a genuine Wall Street pipeline.

[Nahiar806]

The dilution concern is valid, but if the burn + fee mechanism scales with adoption, the supply shock might actually turn deflationary long-term. Tokenomics 2018 → 2025 is a fair framing.

[rafihasan]

Love the onchain economic data angle — GDP + CPI oracles could open a whole new wave of macro-driven DeFi apps. If Sonic pulls that off, it won’t just be a rebrand, it’ll be a real differentiator.

[Nahid10]

Bold move from Sonic — $200M issuance with direct Nasdaq exposure is definitely not something you see every day in L1 land. If they actually land the PIPE + ETP, this could set a new standard for how blockchains tap TradFi liquidity.