Sonic Labs Announces Significant Tokenomics Changes for U.S. Expansion
Sonic Labs is initiating significant changes to its tokenomics aimed at bolstering its expansion into the U.S. market and enhancing institutional adoption.
The specifics were outlined in a post by Tokenomist on X dated September 7, which detailed the new issuance and supply dynamics that followed the governance proposal, closing on August 31 with overwhelming approval.
According to Tokenomist, Sonic (S) will issue 633.9 million new S tokens, valued at approximately $196.5 million. The allocation is divided into three categories: 150 million tokens designated for Sonic’s U.S. operations, 322.6 million allocated for a NASDAQ private investment vehicle that will be locked for a minimum of three years, and 161.3 million reserved for a future ETF collaboration with BitGo custody.
These adjustments increase Sonic’s total available supply from 4.12 billion to 4.75 billion, with circulating supply seeing a 14% increase to 3.79 billion. Released supply rises by 5.4% to 3.14 billion, while total supply expands by 14% to 3.89 billion.
Despite this inflationary effect, the project has implemented robust burn mechanics. Ninety percent of fees collected from builder-focused transactions will be directed back to builders, 5% will go to validators, and the remaining 5% will be burned. For transactions unrelated to builders, half of all fees will be permanently eliminated from circulation.
These changes not only provide Sonic Labs with the capital flexibility absent in Fantom’s original token model but are also designed to counteract dilution from the new issuance and establish long-term scarcity for the S token.
The alteration in tokenomics is closely linked to Sonic’s plans for institutional expansion in the U.S. To engage with regulators and players in the capital market, the project is forming Sonic USA, a Delaware-based entity with operations in New York. Funding from the new issuance will also help launch a U.S.-listed exchange-traded fund that tracks the S token and support the NASDAQ PIPE, which requires token locks to align with institutional partners.
Sonic Labs aims to enhance its competitiveness against projects with larger reserves and create pathways for regulated investment products by combining modern tokenomics with structures that are friendly to institutional investors.
With nearly 860 million votes and 99.98% approval, the recent governance proposal reflects the community’s strong backing for the project.
