Sonic Labs has officially passed its first governance proposal, opening the door to U.S. traditional financial markets. It allows introducing a regulated ETP/ETF that will track S tokens. It also makes possible a Nasdaq PIPE creation and establishes the new Sonic USA entity. BitGo will ensure compliant access to both institutional and retail investors.
The vote of the community was overwhelming. Option 1, authorizing token distribution in strategic projects, garnered 860.6 million votes, representing 99.99% of the participants. 51.2 thousand votes were against the proposal, representing 0.01%. There was no abstention by the participants. The voting was conducted between August 20 and August 31, 2025.
Sonic Labs seeks to utilize these steps to increase adoption and penetration within the United States. Sonic USA LLC will serve as a home base of operations where the locations of executives are being finalized. Institutional interest and regulatory alignment within Washington D.C. will take center stage.
Sonic has significantly reduced token allocation compared to its competitors, making it less competitive. While the majority of market-leading L1 and select L2 projects hold 50-90% of supply allocation for strategic reasons, Sonic only retained 3% of the original allocation. 2018 Fantom tokenomics, developed with decentralization, were no longer valid within the context of the market.
The proposal introduces modernized tokenomics to close this gap. Tokens will be allocated for:
Gas fee structures were also updated to decrease net inflation and obtain a more deflationary atmosphere for S. FeeM transactions will now submit 90% to builders, 5% to validators, and 5% burned, and non-FeeM transactions will split 50/50 between burning and validators.
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Strategic token releases placed Sonic in a position to capitalize on previously passed-up opportunities based on limited token reserves. Projects like GameStop, Robinhood, Polymarket, and other Web2/TradFi partnerships required liquidity that Sonic was unable to obtain under antiquated tokenomics.
Sonic highlights that the blockchain sector has shifted toward “low float, high FDV” projects where chains are operating like businesses rather than completely decentralized networks. Sonic’s new tokenomics are aimed at favorably competing, ranking higher on CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko, and focusing on technological innovations based on speed, cost reduction, stability, and user experience.
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