sony

Web3 entertainment company YOAKE announced the completion of a $3.2 million strategic funding round, with participation from Sony Innovation Fund. The new funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of on-chain entertainment scenarios on Soneium, a blockchain network under Sony. To date, the company's total funding has reached $4.45 million.

According to official news, YOAKE entertainment, the company behind Record Protocol, announced today the completion of a $3.2 million (approximately 500 million yen) financing round, exclusively led by the Sony Innovation Fund (SIF). At the same time, Record is further deepening its partnership with Sony Block Solutions Labs Pte. Ltd. (SBSL), acting as a significant contributor to the ecosystem, accelerating its role as the core intellectual property financial (IPFi) infrastructure of Soneium, and promoting widespread implementation in fields such as music, film and television, gaming, and anime.This strategic cooperation marks an important advancement in the integration of traditional IP with blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, creating new possibilities for Record to build an open infrastructure for global entertainment fans.

According to The Block, Sony's innovation fund has invested an additional $13 million in Soneium blockchain co-developer Startale Group as the first funding for its Series A round.Previously, Startale received $3.5 million in seed funding from Sony in 2023 and secured $3.5 million in seed extension funding from DCM and Samsung Next in 2024, bringing the total public financing amount to $20 million. Startale is headquartered in Singapore and has co-developed the Ethereum Layer 2 network Soneium and the ecosystem entry application Startale App with Sony's Blockchain Solutions Lab.

According to CoinDesk, Sony's blockchain partner Startale Group has launched the dollar stablecoin Startale USD (USDSC) in collaboration with the stablecoin issuance platform M0 on Sony's Web3 ecosystem Soneium.The stablecoin is designed to serve as the default digital dollar for payments, rewards, and other functions within the Soneium ecosystem. Soneium is an Ethereum Layer 2 network launched last year by Sony Group and Startale's joint venture Sony Block Solutions Labs.

Sony Group plans to issue a dollar-pegged stablecoin next year for U.S. customers to use within its digital ecosystem for purchasing content such as games and anime.This move comes after Sony's banking division, Sony Bank, applied for a national bank charter in the U.S. in October. The charter will allow its subsidiary, Connectia Trust, to engage in "certain designated activities involving cryptocurrency," including issuing a stablecoin pegged to the dollar, maintaining corresponding reserve assets, and providing custody and digital asset management services. Sony Bank has partnered with stablecoin company Bastion, which will provide the infrastructure for the Sony stablecoin. Sony Bank hopes that U.S. customers will use its stablecoin to pay for game subscriptions and other content on the PlayStation platform, reducing the fees associated with credit card payments. Previously, Sony and its partner Startale Group launched the ETH Layer2 network Soneium in January 2025. Sony Group also operates the PlayStation platform and the Crunchyroll anime streaming service.

Regulated stablecoin service provider Bastion announced a strategic partnership with Sony Bank, Inc.Bastion and Sony Bank will work together to provide stablecoin services for Sony's affiliated companies, with Bastion responsible for large-scale stablecoin issuance, reserve management, and custody services for Sony Bank. In September 2025, Bastion completed a $14.6 million financing round, led by Coinbase.

According to Nikkei News, Sony Bank is set to issue a dollar-pegged stablecoin in the United States as early as fiscal year 2026.Sony Group plans to use this stablecoin for payments related to gaming and anime content within its ecosystem.

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has written to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), requesting to block Sony Bank's application to establish a subsidiary, Connectia Trust, for issuing stablecoins. The ICBA warns that Sony Bank is exploiting regulatory loopholes to evade traditional banking oversight, which could lead to consumer confusion and harm.Currently, several cryptocurrency companies, including Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple, are also applying for similar federal trust charters to promote the development of the stablecoin market.

Startale Group and Sony Blockchain Solutions Lab jointly announced the launch of the Startale App, an integrated super app designed as an entry point into Sony's Ethereum Layer 2 network, Soneium, and its ecosystem. This app will serve as the access portal for future token generation activities, airdrops, and Soneium ecosystem rewards.According to the official announcement, multiple projects on the network plan to distribute airdrops, rewards, and exclusive experiences through this app. The announcement states that the Startale app utilizes account abstraction technology, eliminating the need for mnemonic phrases, enabling gasless transactions, and simplifying wallet management to enhance the activity within the Soneium ecosystem. The app supports mini-program features, allowing developers to build applications directly on the network without the need for a standalone website. Currently, the app is in a closed testing phase, and the official launch date has not yet been announced.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, the Tokyo Stock Exchange announced that the trading volume of Metaplanet, a Japanese listed company that continues to increase its Bitcoin holdings, reached 1.87 trillion yen (approximately 11.6 billion USD) in June, an increase of nearly 87% compared to 997.6 billion yen in May, surpassing traditional giants such as Toyota Motor (1.64 trillion yen) and Sony Group (1.32 trillion yen).Since November 2024, Metaplanet has maintained its position at the top of the standard market trading volume for 8 consecutive months. Currently, the leading company in trading volume on the Tokyo main board market is semiconductor testing equipment manufacturer Advantest, with 4.85 trillion yen.

ChainCatcher news, Circle announced on social media that the Sony Singapore online store now accepts USDC payments through Crypto.com.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Sony's Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain Soneium announced a partnership with the modular Layer 2 blockchain Plume, which focuses on real-world asset finance (RWAfi). This collaboration will provide Soneium users with access to on-chain RWA staking and yield products through Plume's cross-chain interoperability layer SkyLink, including tokenized U.S. Treasury bonds and private credit assets.This integration will leverage a network of issuers managing over $4 billion in tokenized assets, including major tokenized U.S. Treasury bond issuer Ondo Finance.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, on Tuesday, Sony Electronics Singapore stated in a press release that it has enabled USDC payments through the payment service of the cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com, marking the company's first direct cryptocurrency transaction locally. This feature allows customers to check out using the USDC stablecoin, which is pegged to the US dollar.Currently, this feature is limited to the Sony online store and can only be used through Crypto.com's payment system. Although only one cryptocurrency is supported at the moment, Sony has indicated plans to add support for other cryptocurrencies in the future.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Sony's blockchain division has partnered with Japanese social media giant LINE to integrate four LINE mini-games into Sony's Soneium blockchain network, including Sleepagotchi, Farm Frens, Puffy Match, and Pocket Mob. This collaboration will support in-game rewards and payment features.

ChainCatcher news, Sony's Layer2 network Soneium has distributed two types of OG NFTs to early users: the Soneium OG Badge (requiring at least 45 transactions) and the Soneium Premium OG Badge (requiring bridging 1 ETH or 2500 USDC or 70000 ASTR to the network), which can now be queried through block explorers like Blockscout.On-chain data shows that the total number of holding addresses for the two OG NFTs is 426992.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, cryptocurrency asset custody technology provider Fireblocks has announced support for Sony's blockchain network Soneium. This network is a joint venture between Sony and Singapore's Startale Labs, built on the Optimism OP Stack, aimed at supporting gaming, finance, and entertainment applications.Soneium launched in January this year, with a current locked value of $33.6 million. Fireblocks' support will provide the necessary custody infrastructure for institutional investors to enter the Soneium ecosystem, helping to drive institutional adoption of the network.

ChainCatcher news, Aave founder Stani Kulechov posted on social media: "The community has proposed to deploy Aave on the Sony Layer2 project Soneium, bringing Aave closer to consumers."

ChainCatcher news, Sony's L2 project Soneium collaborates with Coop Records to release a music NFT series. The collection is hosted on Soneium's NFT marketplace Sonova, priced at 0.000777 ETH ($2.11), with minting continuing until the end of this month.