Hassan Maishera
On Monday, Sonic Labs (formerly Fantom Foundation) announced via X that it has launched USSD, the US Sonic Dollar.
USSD is a network-native USD stablecoin built to be the stable liquidity layer across the Sonic ecosystem and a core piece of our vertical integration initiative.
Built on Frax’s GENIUS-compatible frxUSD infrastructure, USSD combines permissionless on-chain usage with conservative, institutional-grade backing from BlackRock, Superstate, and WisdomTree. The goal is straightforward: make stable liquidity on Sonic more predictable, more composable, and easier to move across chains, so DeFi and on-chain markets can scale on a stronger foundation.
USSD is now available on Sonic with cross-chain minting capability from 10+ chains.
USSD is;
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Predictable: backed 1:1 by high-quality USD assets, with a clear redemption mental model.
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Composable: a clean base token that integrates smoothly across DeFi venues (DEXs, lending, collateral, settlement) without extra assumptions.
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Easy to move: designed for flexible cross-chain minting and redemption, so liquidity can enter and exit Sonic efficiently.
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Accessible: permissionless smart-contract interaction with zero-fee minting, so anyone can mint and use USSD without gatekeeping or friction.
USSD is also foundational to Sonic’s broader vertical integration strategy. Beyond improving liquidity, it creates a path for base-layer activity and institutional yield to contribute back to the ecosystem over time, supporting buybacks and ecosystem incentives as usage grows.
USSD is minted through non-custodial smart contracts on Sonic.
Anyone can mint USSD by depositing supported USD assets at a 1:1 ratio, with zero minting fees. Supported assets include:
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USDC, USDT, PYUSD, USDB
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BUIDL, USTB, WTGXX (and other approved USD/Treasury representations)
Sonic (previously Fantom) is building a programmable platform on a directed acyclic-graph-based distributed ledger. Its S coin is up 3.3% in the last 24 hours and is currently trading at $0.04132.
