Sonic's Token Holders Approve $150M Push Into Traditional Finance

Sonic Labs, the team behind the high-performance Layer-1 blockchain platform, has received overwhelming community support for a $150 million token issuance to fund its expansion into U.S. capital markets. The proposal, which was approved on August 31 after a Snapshot governance vote from August 20 to 31, received 99.99% approval from the Sonic token holder community, with nearly 860 million S tokens participating—well above the required quorum of 700 million [1].

The approved plan includes a $50 million allocation to back a U.S.-listed exchange-traded product (ETP/ETF) in partnership with a top-tier provider, supported by custodial services from BitGo. Additionally, $100 million will be used to establish a NASDAQ private investment in public equity (PIPE) vehicle, which will create a strategic reserve for a Nasdaq-listed investment vehicle. Tokens purchased under this initiative will be locked for a minimum of three years, aiming to strengthen Sonic’s institutional credibility and market presence [2].

The initiative also involves the creation of Sonic USA LLC, a Delaware-registered subsidiary based in New York. The new entity will establish a New York office and hire a U.S.-based CEO along with a capital markets and business development team. The subsidiary will be funded with 150 million S tokens, separate from the $150 million allocated to the ETF and PIPE initiatives, to support its operations and regulatory engagement in Washington, D.C. [3].

The move marks a significant departure from Sonic’s earlier tokenomics model, which retained just 3% of the token supply after a community-led rebranding from Fantom. This limited Sonic’s ability to pursue capital market opportunities and partnerships. The updated tokenomics now incorporate stronger deflationary mechanisms, including the burning of a larger portion of network gas fees to increase token scarcity and support institutional adoption. Sonic aims to align with traditional financial instruments to bridge the gap between decentralized and traditional finance [4].

Community support for the initiative was nearly unanimous, with 860.6 million S tokens in favor and only 51,200 against. This signals strong consensus on Sonic’s strategic shift toward institutional-grade financial structures. The new governance model and tokenomics are expected to enhance Sonic’s competitiveness in a space where many rivals control 50% to 90% of their token supply for strategic initiatives. The move is also anticipated to accelerate S adoption in traditional finance, regulatory alignment, and institutional engagement [5].

Sonic Labs has also been involved in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to publish economic data onchain, leveraging oracle services from Chainlink and Pyth. This initiative allows developers to access macroeconomic data directly on the Sonic platform, enabling the development of onchain trading models and lending systems. These developments position Sonic as a key player in the convergence of blockchain and traditional financial infrastructure [6].

Source:

[1] Sonic Labs passes proposal to expand to U.S. capital markets (https://crypto.news/sonic-labs-passes-proposal-u-s-capital-markets-2025/)

[2] Sonic Labs passes proposal to expand to U.S. capital markets (https://www.mexc.com/news/sonic-labs-passes-proposal-to-expand-to-u-s-capital-markets/80701)

[3] Sonic (S) Approves $150M Token Issuance for Groundbreaking US ETF Goals (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sonic-approves-150m-token-issuance-153432856.html)

[4] Sonic Labs gets greenlight for its $200M TradFi move (https://cointelegraph.com/news/sonic-labs-passes-proposal-expand-into-tradfi)

[5] Sonic Labs passes $150 million proposal to expand into U.S. capital markets (https://www.theblock.co/post/368861/sonic-labs-passes-proposal)