On January 28, 2025, just one month after the Sonic mainnet went online, Andre Cronje, one of the most influential figures in the decentralized finance (DeFi) field, published a highly anticipated article titled 'Why Did I Quit in 2022?'. In the article, he detailed the predicament he and his team faced under the background of the former SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) cracking down on the blockchain industry, and ultimately, the uncertainty of regulation forced him to temporarily leave the DeFi world he had poured his heart into. Now, under the new regulatory landscape, with the global blockchain regulatory framework gradually becoming clearer and more open, Andre Cronje has returned to the stage, launching a new generation of high-performance DeFi chain Sonic, rebranded by Fantom. It focuses on solving the current pain points in the DeFi industry, providing users with an infrastructure experience close to centralized finance, and making a series of innovations such as native cross-chain bridges, asset insurance, and Ethereum native asset compatibility to enhance user experience.
These measures have quickly made Sonic the focus of the industry, with its Total Value Locked (TVL) breaking the $100 million mark within just 4 months of mainnet launch. This research report will delve into Sonic's innovations and challenges in consensus mechanisms, technical architecture, ecosystem construction, and future development directions, aiming to comprehensively assess its potential and influence in the DeFi field, and provide readers with an in-depth understanding of the new generation of high-performance DeFi public chains through an analysis of Sonic's key characteristics, differentiated advantages, and strategic layout.
Author:Bessie, Web3Caff Research Researcher
Cover: Photo by Andrew Kliatskyi on Unsplash, Logo by Sonic, Typography by Web3Caff Research
Word Count: Total of 11,000+ words
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Management and Governance
- Key Features and Differentiated Advantages
- Consensus Mechanism Explained
- High Throughput EVM Chain
- Built-in Ethereum Cross-chain Bridge
- User and Developer Battle Opened by Sonic Economics
- Multi-burn Mechanism Aimed at Reducing Inflation
- Sonic Developer Incentive Program
- Sonic Ecosystem
- Decentralized Exchange (DEX)
- Lending Market
- Liquidity Staking and Yield Aggregator
- Challenges and Criticisms
- Key Structure Diagram
- References
