Fantom has officially upgraded to Sonic, a high-performance Layer-1 blockchain that is fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The network claims to process over 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) with sub-second confirmation times and average fees below $0.01. The native token, S, is now live and can be swapped from FTM at a 1:1 ratio via the official Sonic upgrade portal.
The Fantom-to-Sonic Transition
Sonic represents the evolution of the Fantom ecosystem. For the first six months after launch, users can exchange FTM for S tokens bidirectionally; after this window, only one-way swaps from FTM to S will be supported. Major exchanges such as KuCoin have already completed the token swap and now support S trading pairs.
Technical Architecture
Sonic uses a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism where validators lock S tokens to secure the network. For consensus, it employs Asynchronous Byzantine Fault Tolerance (ABFT) combined with a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure, allowing validators to process transactions independently and asynchronously. The platform is fully EVM-compatible, enabling developers to deploy Ethereum-based applications without code changes. Sonic also introduces SonicVM for fast execution, SonicDB for efficient storage, and the Sonic Gateway for bridging assets from other networks.
Token Utility and Tokenomics
The S token serves as the primary medium for transaction fees, staking, validator operations, and governance. At launch, the total supply was 3.175 billion tokens. Six months post-launch, an additional 6% will be minted for an airdrop program rewarding both Fantom Opera and Sonic users and builders. To fund ongoing growth, 1.5% of S tokens will be minted annually for six years, starting six months after mainnet launch; unused tokens from this allocation will be burned. Block rewards are designed to provide a 3.5% annual percentage rate (APR) when 50% of network tokens are staked. In the first four years, these rewards come from reallocated tokens, avoiding new inflation. After this period, new tokens will be minted at 1.75% per year to continue rewarding validators.
Deflationary Mechanisms and Market Data
Sonic incorporates three burn mechanisms to reduce token supply: burning a portion of transaction fees from non-participating apps, burning tokens from users who opt for early airdrop withdrawals, and burning unused tokens allocated for network growth. According to KuCoin data, the all-time high price of S is $1.03, and the current price is down 95.51% from that high. The all-time low is $0.04, and the current price is up 25.67% from that low. As of May 25, 2026, the circulating supply is approximately 2.88 billion tokens, with a maximum supply of 420 trillion (as stated in the original source).
Investment Outlook and Risks
Sonic’s high performance and developer-friendly fee monetization program (offering 90% of application fees to developers) could attract a vibrant ecosystem. However, the token price has experienced significant volatility, trading well below its all-time high. Broader market sentiment and overall cryptocurrency trends will likely influence S’s valuation. Users can stake S tokens via the MySonic portal, with a 14-day unstaking period, and should carefully select validators to avoid slashing risks.