Introduction
Sonic, the revamped high-performance EVM Layer 1 from Fantom, has emerged as a significant participant within the blockchain ecosystem. Not too long ago surpassing the $1 billion TVL mark, Sonic is shortly approaching the highest 10 chains by whole worth locked. Not like most blockchains within the prime 20, Sonic has skilled a formidable 118% TVL development prior to now month, becoming a member of solely Berachain and Sei in constructive development territory in accordance with DeFiLlama.
DeFi lovers and airdrop hunters are significantly drawn to Sonic for 3 compelling causes: the huge 190.5 million S tokens allotted to its airdrop, the profitable yield alternatives, and feeVM which distributes 90% of fuel charges to functions quite than MEV and validators—creating highly effective incentives for ecosystem development that profit each builders and customers.
In addition to the explanations said above, there’s additionally a cult following of Fantom’s technical advisor Andre Cronje. As a significant figurehead within the DeFi ecosystem, Cronje is chargeable for launching widespread yield aggregator Yearn and introducing the ve(3,3) primitive, which has seen success with Velodrome and Aerodrome’s implementation. Cronje has now turned his focus to Sonic to introduce new monetary primitives and improvements to the Sonic chain, with one such upcoming challenge being flying tulip – a brand new form of decentralized change with leveraged liquidity to profit LPs. With extra improvements on the horizon, crypto contributors are eagerly anticipating new protocols to work together with on Sonic.
With substantial tokens already in circulation and minimal future dilution from insider unlocks, farming Sonic factors represents considered one of immediately’s most engaging airdrop alternatives. The primary season of the Sonic factors marketing campaign concludes in June 2025, coinciding with the primary airdrop turning into claimable. Factors can be distributed throughout a number of seasons.
How one can Earn Sonic Factors
Factors will be earned by way of three main strategies:
- Passive factors by holding whitelisted belongings in your pockets.
- Exercise factors by deploying whitelisted belongings as liquidity on collaborating apps.
- Sonic gems that are developer-focused airdrop factors redeemable for S tokens, distributed at every dApp’s discretion.
The best multiplier of 6x for whitelisted belongings apply to scUSD, stkscUSD, and wstkscUSD:
- scUSD: A stablecoin that’s mintable through Rings protocol with out charges utilizing stablecoins or ETH-based tokens on Ethereum or Sonic. Your deposited collateral generates yield from blue-chip protocols on Ethereum by way of Veda’s vaults.
- stksdUSD: Staked model of scUSD the place yield is paid on to you.
- wstksdUSD: Wrapped model of stksdUSD to be used in DeFi protocols.
Further whitelisted belongings embody:
- USDC.e (5x multiplier)
- S, wS, stS, scETH, stkscETH, wstkscETH, scBTC, stkscBTC, and wstkscBTC (4x multiplier)
- WETH, LBTC, SolvBTC, SolvBTC.BBN, and x33 (2x multiplier)
The next 5 methods will make it easier to to earn exercise factors, whereas you may also farm Sonic factors by interacting with initiatives which have been allotted Gems as Sonic BOOM winners. The Emerald tier initiatives will obtain the most important allocations of Gems, so it is strongly recommended to work together with these initiatives for extra factors.
Technique 1: Looping on Aave for Most Factors Yield
One of the crucial easy methods to earn Sonic factors is thru looping on Aave’s cash markets. Looping includes leveraged borrowing—you deposit USDC.e to earn 10x Sonic factors, then borrow USDC.e in opposition to your deposit and redeposit these borrowed funds to extend your points-earning publicity.
For instance, with 500 USDC.e deposited, you may borrow as much as 400 USDC.e. By borrowing 250 USDC.e (making a 0.50 loan-to-value ratio), then depositing that quantity, your whole deposit turns into 750 USDC.e whereas sustaining a mortgage of 250 USDC.e (decreasing the loan-to-value ratio to 0.33). You possibly can then borrow an extra 150 USDC.e, bringing the loan-to-value ratio to roughly 0.53, and proceed the method.
Necessary: All the time keep your loan-to-value ratio effectively beneath the liquidation threshold of 0.75 to keep away from liquidation dangers. This technique can double or triple your efficient deposit, considerably rising your Sonic factors earnings in comparison with a easy deposit.
Technique 2: Leverage BTCFi Choices on Sonic
Sonic’s ecosystem means that you can farm factors whereas sustaining publicity to your BTC holdings by way of varied BTCFi choices. Should you’re bullish on BTC and like to HODL, think about these protocols:
Lombard Finance
- Deposit LBTC to Rings protocol and mint scBTC to earn DeFi yield, Rings Factors, Veda Factors, Sonic passive factors, and 4x Sonic exercise factors
- Deposit LBTC or eBTC to the Lombard Bitcoin Sonic vault for 4x exercise factors, Lux factors, Babylon Labs factors, and Veda factors
- Use LBTC on Silo Finance for 4x exercise factors, Silo factors, and Lux factors
- Present LBTC or scBTC liquidity on Beets.fi (Lombard’s Orbit pool) for Lux factors, 4x exercise factors, and companion rewards
Solv Protocol
- Stake BTC on BuildOnBob to mint SolvBTC.BBN and bridge to Sonic
- Deposit SolvBTC.BBN to Silo Finance for 2x exercise factors, Solv XP, Babylon factors, and Silo factors
- For leveraged methods, borrow SolvBTC, bridge again, and repeat
- Alternatively, LP SolvBTC and scBTC on SwapXfi
WBTC holders can deposit into Rings Protocol to mint scBTC, incomes DeFi yield, Rings Factors, Veda Factors, passive factors, and 4x exercise factors. Staking scBTC to stkscBTC gives further yield and factors.
Technique 3: Commerce Pendle Yield Tokens for Leveraged Publicity
Pendle creates liquidity swimming pools that cut up yield-generating tokens like wstkscUSD into principal tokens (PT) and yield tokens (YT):
- PT holders can redeem for underlying belongings after maturity
- YT holders acquire generated yield till maturity however haven’t any declare on the underlying asset
For optimizing Sonic factors, yield tokens provide leveraged publicity to each factors and yield with out liquidation threat. Whereas YTs pattern to zero at maturity, they supply the very best points-to-capital ratio.
For instance, a $1,000 deposit in YT-wstkscUSD can enhance your Sonic factors publicity by 41x—primarily incomes factors as in the event you held $41,000 price of stkscUSD. The worth decreases as maturity approaches (Could twenty ninth), so monitor markets and exit earlier than maturity to get well a part of your deposit.
A lower-risk different is that this delta-neutral setup:
- Purchase S tokens from Binance and withdraw to your pockets
- Hedge through 1x quick within the S-USD market on Hyperliquid
- Stake S for OS on Origin Protocol
- LP OS on Pendle for 52% APY together with Pendle incentives and Sonic factors
Technique 4: Funding Charge Arbitrage on Vertex
Funding charge arbitrage means that you can farm Sonic factors with zero value publicity. Perpetual contracts use funding charges to maintain costs aligned with oracle (market) costs:
- Detrimental funding charge: Merchants pay to carry quick positions, incentivizing longs
- Constructive funding charge: Merchants pay to carry lengthy positions, incentivizing shorts
By making a delta-neutral place, you may earn funding funds whereas accumulating Sonic factors:
- Get 500 wS and deposit onto Vertex
- Open a same-sized quick place (500 S) on S-PERP
- Execute as a taker order to earn rebates of as much as 100% on charges paid
Vertex’s cross-margin characteristic permits leveraging this technique:
- Allow Margin Spot on wS-USDC
- Purchase 500 wS
- Open a 500 S quick place on S-PERP
Your account may have three balances:
- 1,000 wS
- 1,000 S-PERP (quick)
- 300 USDC (adverse steadiness = borrowed)
This course of will be leveraged as much as 20x, although greater leverage requires nearer market monitoring to keep away from liquidation. The technique may also work with any perpetual DEX, comparable to offering liquidity for S/stS on Shadow whereas shorting S-USD on Hyperliquid or Vertex.
Technique 5: Automate Buying and selling & Farming with RussFi
RussFi is launching an AI yield agent that robotically invests idle belongings into the highest-performing Sonic protocols utilizing AI evaluation. This passive method optimizes each yield and Sonic factors with minimal effort.
To get began:
- Enroll right here with Privy through electronic mail
- Set your buying and selling type based mostly on threat tolerance
- Add your account identify
- Fund the deal with (S tokens solely)
Presently, you may work together with the bot to purchase/promote tokens, get AI analysis insights, and launch tokens on S.enjoyable. As soon as the AI yield agent launches, it is going to function a strong device for effortlessly incomes exercise factors for the Sonic airdrop.
Conclusion
As Sonic continues its spectacular development trajectory, farming for the upcoming airdrop presents a major alternative for DeFi lovers. The methods outlined above—from easy looping on Aave to classy funding charge arbitrage and AI-powered yield optimization—present varied risk-reward profiles to swimsuit totally different investor preferences.
The simplest method might mix a number of methods based mostly in your threat tolerance, capital availability, and time dedication. Looping on Aave affords simplicity, BTCFi choices enable continued publicity to Bitcoin, Pendle yield tokens present leveraged factors with out liquidation threat, funding charge arbitrage creates delta-neutral positions, and RussFi delivers automated optimization.
With the primary airdrop distribution approaching in June 2025, now’s the best time to determine and refine your Sonic factors farming technique. By understanding the multipliers, rigorously managing positions, and deciding on the correct mixture of protocols, you may maximize your potential rewards whereas collaborating in one of many fastest-growing blockchain ecosystems.