Sonic’s community has overwhelmingly approved a U.S.-focused expansion package that gives the rebranded Fantom protocol new tools to chase institutional adoption. The plan—backed by 99.99% of voters—authorizes a $50 million ETF initiative, a $100 million investment program and the creation of a Delaware-registered company to lead U.S. operations.
Under the vote, the network will seed 150 million S tokens to a New York–based entity called Sonic USA and pursue a private investment in public equity (PIPE) vehicle to place S into a Nasdaq-listed balance sheet. The ETF effort will be handled by a regulated provider with more than $10 billion in assets under management, with custody by BitGo.
Sonic Labs framed the move as a corrective to its original “2018 tokenomics”, when Fantom gave away most supply to the community and the foundation retained roughly 3% at launch. The team says that limited treasury resources hampered listings, acquisitions and strategic deals—gaps the new issuance aims to close.
Network-level changes will also channel fees into a revised burn mechanism to reduce inflationary pressure, a concession to holders seeking deflationary dynamics. While the package creates a sizable war chest and legal structure for U.S. engagement, real-world adoption and regulatory scrutiny remain open questions.
Why it matters: Sonic now has both capital and a clear institutional playbook that could accelerate listings and partnerships, but investors should note increased issuance and new centralized treasury controls carry governance and market-risk implications.
Source: Snapshot proposal. Read the original coverage for full details.