Sonic Is Coming: Fantom Launches Users into a New Crypto Era

After a long journey through the desert, Fantom is making a spectacular return to the forefront with its brand new rebranding: Sonic. This launch of the Sonic mainnet promises much more than just a name change. With advanced features and ambitious promises, Sonic is repositioning the ecosystem on the chessboard of the crypto market by providing a fast, compatible, and innovative solution. Let’s explore what this transformation concretely implies.

Fantom reinvents itself with Sonic

The Sonic mainnet is not just a simple marketing facelift: it marks a true technological evolution for Fantom. Equipped with EVM compatibility and an impressive ability to handle up to 10,000 transactions per second (TPS), Sonic establishes itself as an essential platform for users and developers.

Instant finality and compatibility with popular wallets like Metamask or OKX add a welcome touch of ergonomics.

Holders of FTM, the native token of Fantom, can now migrate to Sonic to receive S tokens, at the core of the new ecosystem. This comes with a windfall for active and passive users through a airdrop of 190 million S, representing 6% of the total supply, or 260 million dollars.

As summarized by Michael Kong, CEO of Sonic Labs:

“Sonic represents the culmination of more than two and a half years of hard work to optimize the entire execution stack of the Opera chain”.

I’m incredibly proud of what the @SonicLabs team has accomplished with this launch.

Sonic represents the culmination of over two and a half years of hard work by the technical team, who redesigned and optimised the entire execution stack of the Opera Chain, as well as many… https://t.co/ltajbTGQ1v

— Michael Kong 💥 (@michaelfkong) December 18, 2024

Key takeaways:

• Up to 10,000 TPS and finality in less than a second;
• Airdrop of 190 million S to reward users;
• Compatibility with popular wallets like Metamask and OKX.

An airdrop and a rise in power in the crypto market

The excitement around Sonic has had a direct impact on the price of FTM. Anticipating the migration to S, the token reached its highest level since 2022, with a market cap exceeding 4 billion dollars. This performance reflects the growing enthusiasm for this strategic evolution.

The Sonic mainnet did not arrive alone. Supported by a fundraising of 10 million dollars led by Hashed Fund, with heavyweights like Stani Kulechov (Aave) and Robert Leshner (Compound), Sonic is clearly on the rise.

This transformation also gives a fresh start to Fantom, which once peaked at 8 billion dollars in total value locked (TVL) in 2022, and has a respectable average of 100 million TVL in 2024 according to DeFiLlama.

The promised staking and governance to be announced soon complete an already very attractive picture for investors. One thing is for sure: with Sonic, the crypto market is far from being done shaking.