The latest troubles with Solana (SOL) meme tokens led traders to look for other chains with heightened activity. The Sonic L1 chain ecosystem is offering a platform for new launches, recently increasing its DEX activity. Sonic, one of the relatively new L1 chains, is having a revival as traders seek new platforms with DEX potential. The Shadow exchange is the main driver of Sonic adoption, increasing its volumes 10 times in the past month. Sonic is now on track to join the top 5 chains with the biggest DEX activity, lining up just after Arbitrum. The ecosystem even surpassed more promising high-profile launches like Sui and Berachain. The success of Sonic took a short time, as the chain increased its activity in the past week, with the migration of users. Sonic increased its DEX activity by over 84% in the past week as the Shadow DEX started building up its liquidity pairs. Sonic (S), formerly Fantom (FTM), reaped success with its rebranded name and new ticker, S. The S token rallied by over 16% in the past day to trade at $0.89. S had a short-term peak above $0.97, recovering from lows of $0.40 in the past weeks. Previously, Sonic lagged as the L1 narrative slowed down. The recent chain revival follows the ability to launch new tokens for fast trading with growing liquidity. Sonic sees increased DEX activity The pairs on Shadow DEX went vertical, locking in $118.5M . While this DEX size is relatively small, the rapid pace of inflows signaled renewed interest in Sonic. The rebranded chain is EVM-compatible, already bringing in $142.9M in stabelcoins. The shift to Sonic shows demand for fun on-chain activities with low fees and low expectations. The low performance of altcoins, legacy memes, and other narratives is fueling the shift of liquidity to a new space. Sonic draws in a mix of legacy users from Fantom and new traders looking for a liquid DEX. The other reason for the inflow of users is the Sonic chain airdrop campaign, launched in January. The increased daily usage and demand for tokens are currently in their hottest phase, raising questions about sustainability. Sonic points will be rewarded for interactions with all apps and a selection of assets in the Sonic ecosystem. Sonic may continue its activity in the first half of 2025, as the farming period will extend until June. After that, the immediate token unlocks will award 25% of the tokens, with the rest vested for 270 days as NFT positions, with a linear unlock. The main assets that may grant airdrop points are the wrapped versions of scETH and scBTC, issued against the collateral of the same assets. Traders can also generate Sonic-native stablecoins scUSD against the collateral of other assets like USDT and USDC. During the airdrop period, Sonic DEX increased its daily volumes to over $262M, with activity mostly from large-scale wrapped assets. In addition to the major tokens, Sonic’s Shadow DEX carried a new selection of on-topic memes. KNUCKLES, EGGS, and GOGLS are all in the green, drawing in the fun-loving traders. The tokens have relatively low activity compared to Ethereum or Solana DEX but are still seen as a community effort with low expectations. Sonic already carries the Degen Express launchpad, a simple app similar to Pump.fun offering bonding curve technology and the possibility to raise liquidity. Degen Express is turning into the main launchpad on Sonic, and a badge verification system will be introduced soon. Sonic prepares for new tokenomics Sonic is still an early-stage network, where S tokens are still swappable for FTM. From March 18 onward, the swap between legacy FTM and S will become one-way. After June 18, the supply of S will grow in accordance with the new tokenomics. Currently, the tokens can be upgraded via a dedicated portal. The new S token will launch with 3.175B, after which the supply will expand by another 6%. Another 47.6M tokens will be minted for six years, resulting in 1.5% annual inflation. The current airdrop will distribute 190.5M tokens. S tokens will be stackable for passive income and to limit the available supply. Cryptopolitan Academy: FREE Web3 Resume Cheat Sheet - Download Now
