{"id":60740,"date":"2026-01-29T10:03:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hbbgroup.net\/sony-doubles-down-on-soneium-after-first-year-of-mainnet-activity\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T10:03:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:03:52","slug":"sony-doubles-down-on-soneium-after-first-year-of-mainnet-activity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbbgroup.net\/zh\/sony-doubles-down-on-soneium-after-first-year-of-mainnet-activity\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony doubles down on Soneium after first year of mainnet activity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Sony Group Corp. made a follow-on investment in Startale Group, deepening its involvement in the Soneium blockchain about a year after the network\u2019s mainnet launch.<\/p>\n

In a Thursday announcement sent to Cointelegraph, Startale disclosed an additional investment of $13 million from the Sony Innovation Fund. The funding round came after Soneium moved from testnet experimentation into live operation, allowing Sony to observe how the network performed under real-world conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Data from Soneium\u2019s public block explorer shows<\/a> the network has processed about 524 million transactions since its mainnet launch in January 2025. Over the same period, Nansen data shows<\/a> Avalanche and Algorand recorded 442 million and 383 million transactions, respectively. Transaction counts alone do not indicate user adoption or economic activity.<\/p>\n

The new investment increases Sony\u2019s exposure after observing post-launch network activity, while maintaining a long-term approach to its blockchain strategy.<\/p>\n

Blockchain networks ranked by number of transactions in the last year. Source: Nansen<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Investment decision influenced by post-launch performance<\/h2>\n

A Startale spokesperson told Cointelegraph that Sony\u2019s decision was informed by Soneium\u2019s post-launch performance. This includes the transaction milestone and the number of wallets reaching 5.4 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ecosystem growth, combined with the strength of the ongoing collaboration through Sony Block Solutions Labs, reflects the progress that underpins Sony\u2019s continued investment,\u201d the spokesperson told Cointelegraph.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The spokesperson said the investment does not change Sony\u2019s operational or governance role and that the partnership structure remains unchanged.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Startale also said its Startale USD (USDSC) stablecoin is live on Soneium\u2019s mainnet. The token is built on M0\u2019s platform and is designed to function as a native settlement layer across applications and payments on the network.<\/p>\n

Startale declined to disclose valuation details for the follow-on round, describing the investment as the first close of its Series A.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong><\/em>Crypto payments coming to PlayStation as Sony plans stablecoin launch in 2026<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

From testnet experiment to live infrastructure<\/h2>\n

Sony and Startale first announced Soneium in August 2024<\/a> as an Ethereum layer 2 designed to attract developers across entertainment, gaming and consumer applications. On Aug. 23, 2024, the project was positioned as Sony\u2019s most direct move into blockchain infrastructure\u00a0<\/p>\n

The effort expanded days later with the launch of the Minato public testnet<\/a> and the Soneium Spark developer incubator. On Aug. 28, 2024, the incubator offered funding and support from Sony subsidiaries and Web3 partners, signaling a hands-on approach rather than a passive investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Soneium\u2019s mainnet went live in January 2025<\/a>, integrating non-fungible token (NFT)-based fan engagement tools tied to Sony\u2019s entertainment businesses. On Jan. 14, 2025, the launch drew mixed reactions after the network restricted certain contracts over alleged intellectual property (IP) violations.\u00a0<\/p>\n