Soneium, the Ethereum Layer 2 network backed by Sony, plans to issue a native token called $SONEIUM. The stated goal is to power what the project describes as an onchain entertainment economy.
For most of its life, Soneium has run without a token of its own. That is about to change.
What Soneium is planning
The announcement came on October 26, 2026. Soneium is developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, Sony’s blockchain unit.
The token is pitched as an economic layer for the whole ecosystem. The idea is to connect five groups that rarely share a balance sheet: creators, IP owners, builders, fans and investors.
At the center of the plan sits the Soneium Portal. It is meant to handle IP discovery, issuance and investment. It will also automate royalty payouts through smart contracts, which are programs that execute payments when preset conditions are met.
Two new products are slated for the Portal. IP Vault is designed to support royalty-backed assets. IP Bonds are aimed at generating entertainment revenue.
The first projects lean heavily on Asian pop culture. Soneium is partnering with Super State Holdings on the Moriusa character IP.
It is also working with DayOneDream’s WAVIST platform on K-pop royalty tokenization. That effort indexes artists including BTOB and Lee Chae-yeon.
Soneium so far: big name, modest numbers
Soneium’s mainnet went live on January 14, 2025. Since then, users have paid transaction fees in ETH, Ethereum’s native currency.
The network is built on Optimism’s OP Stack. That is an open-source toolkit many Layer 2 chains use, a kind of prefab chassis for building faster, cheaper networks that settle back to Ethereum.
Soneium says it hosts more than 250 applications. Its total value locked, the amount of capital parked in its apps, sits at approximately $9.38 million.
Some of the supporting infrastructure is already in place. The USDSC stablecoin is live on Soneium’s mainnet and used for settlements, which matters if royalty payments are going to move in something steadier than a volatile token.
Sony has also put money behind the effort. It invested $13 million in Startale in early 2025. Startale Labs is the infrastructure partner Sony has worked with to build out the blockchain.
Soneium has positioned itself as a bridge between Web2 and Web3 audiences. That strategy has relied on user-friendly tools for the entertainment sector. NFT-based mechanics for fan engagement have been part of the approach, along with new funding routes for IP creators.
Why a token, and why now
Plenty of Layer 2 networks launch with tokens on day one. Soneium took the slower route, building apps and infrastructure first while relying on ETH for gas.
The research describing the plan frames tokenized IP as a way for creators to keep rights and interests in their work. That challenges the traditional model, where labels, studios and distributors often control both the IP and the cash flow.
What this means
For the entertainment industry, the interesting part is not the token itself. It is IP Vault and IP Bonds. If those products work, they could give smaller creators and rights holders a new way to raise money against future royalties without going through traditional financiers.
The K-pop angle is a deliberate choice. K-pop fandoms are famously organized, highly engaged and willing to spend.
For Ethereum’s Layer 2 landscape, Soneium represents a different playbook. Most rollups compete on fees, speed or DeFi activity. Soneium is competing on content, betting that recognizable IP draws users more effectively than cheaper transactions.
There are open questions the announcement leaves for later. Readers should watch for token distribution details, how $SONEIUM will interact with ETH for fees, and what role USDSC plays in royalty flows.
Regulation is another variable. Royalty-backed assets and products described as bonds sit close to territory that securities regulators tend to scrutinize. How Soneium structures IP Bonds in particular will matter for which markets it can serve.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.