Background
Astar Network was initially launched under the name Plasm Network, aiming to create a heterogeneous and interoperable blockchain ecosystem that allows different blockchains to collaborate seamlessly. This vision, coupled with our belief in the potential of decentralized Web3 technology to safeguard freedom and democracy and drive profound innovation, has become the core motivation driving us forward. As Startale Labs, we have successfully developed Astar L1 and Astar zkEVM over the past four years, continuously improving blockchain infrastructure and striving to bring Web3 to billions.
However, relying solely on technological innovation cannot fully achieve this goal. Although cutting-edge technologies such as Layer 2 and interoperability protocols have significantly improved blockchain scalability and efficiency, alleviating network congestion, reducing transaction costs, and enhancing accessibility, the blockchain industry still faces challenges such as insufficient user engagement and limited application diversity, especially in real-world application scenarios.
The real challenge in driving mass adoption of Web3 lies in developing applications with practical impact and establishing strong distribution channels to reach billions of users. To address this challenge, Startale Labs, as a core contributor to Astar Network, launched Astar Japan Labs, collaborating with over 100 Japanese enterprises, government agencies, and startups to jointly cultivate practical Web3 solutions.
But that alone is not enough. Therefore, we launched Soneium — an Ethereum Layer 2 public blockchain protocol co-developed by Sony Group and Startale. By combining Astar's technological advantages and expertise in the crypto space with Sony Group's strong resources in distribution channels, intellectual property, and market influence, we have established a unique advantageous position to accelerate the adoption of Web3.
The evolution of Astar Network: Moving towards the Soneium ecosystem
Today, we officially announce the upgrade of Astar Network to Astar, which is one of the key elements of the first phase of Astar's evolution plan. Astar will evolve into an inclusive collaborative ecosystem that not only focuses on providing blockchain infrastructure (such as Astar L1) but also actively promotes practical applications of Web3 in the real world through project incubation, technological development, community interaction, and strategic investment, starting with the Soneium Sony Chain ecosystem.
So far, the ASTR token has mainly served as the native token of Astar L1. This has made it difficult for the community to understand how to benefit from the growth of Soneium and the expansion of Web3 applications. Additionally, due to misalignment of interests, the community has also found it challenging to actively participate in the development of Soneium, despite Astar Network being a strategic partner with Soneium.
As Astar evolves, ASTR will become the representative asset of Astar. This change will enable the community to actively promote the popularization of Web3 while obtaining corresponding rewards through the expanded functionalities of ASTR, as detailed in (The Evolution of ASTR: A Cryptocurrency for Billions).
The evolution of Astar: From blockchain to collaborative body
Astar is redefining itself as an emerging collaborative body, achieving practical applications of Web3 across multiple ecosystems through project incubation, technological development, community interaction, and strategic industry investment. Our mission is to establish the world's largest Web3 ecosystem centered on practical consumer applications and efficient distribution channels, driving blockchain technology to serve billions while creating value for ASTR holders.
As the first step in ecosystem expansion, Astar will focus on the Soneium Sony Chain, forming the core layer of the ecosystem alongside Astar Network. Soneium, developed by Sony Group and the Astar development team Startale Labs, is a public blockchain protocol with a unique advantage in reaching billions of users and exploring practical business opportunities, significantly promoting the widespread application of Web3. In the context of core contributors sharing vision and aligning interests, the Soneium Sony Chain is the ideal platform for Astar to realize its vision.
The evolution of ASTR: The core asset for billions
ASTR is evolving from the native token of Astar L1 into the main asset of the entire Astar and Soneium Sony Chain ecosystem, assuming multiple key functions:
Representative asset of Soneium: ASTR will become the core asset of Soneium, and holders will directly benefit from the growth of the ecosystem's value.
Currency in the Soneium ecosystem: ASTR will serve as the payment token for DeFi and consumer dApps in Soneium, promoting its practical use.
Liquidity assets for Soneium DeFi: ASTR will provide liquidity in the Soneium DeFi ecosystem, facilitating trading of native assets with mainstream assets (such as ETH, USDC, BTC), consolidating its position as a base currency.
Payment token for consumer dApps in the Soneium ecosystem: Some consumer dApps in Soneium will facilitate payments directly or through stablecoins backed by ASTR, further enhancing their payment functionality.
Staking assets to secure Soneium's core infrastructure: ASTR has significant economic value and can be used in various aspects of network security. For example:
Soneium's fast confirmation layer will use ASTR as a staking asset, providing additional reward opportunities for ASTR holders.
ASTR can participate in the construction of other infrastructures within Soneium, contributing to the security and scalability of the blockchain.
Investment reserve: ASTR will serve as an investment reserve, supporting consumer application projects within the ecosystem through governance and ensuring that the interests of holders align with ecosystem growth.
Governance token: ASTR will serve as the governance token of the Astar collaborative body, leading strategic decisions within the ecosystem.
Gas token: ASTR will continue to serve as the Gas token of Astar L1, providing basic economic support to the ecosystem.
Core token for dApp Staking: ASTR will drive governance of dApp Staking, incentivizing more developers to participate in building the Web3 ecosystem.
Key to driving mass adoption of Web3: Soneium Sony Chain
The Soneium Sony Chain ecosystem is an important part of Astar's realization of mass adoption of Web3. As the ecosystem continues to grow, Astar will continue to focus on enhancing the utility and value of ASTR, creating more opportunities for holders in the expansion of different ecosystems.
Looking ahead, as Astar's contributions to the broader Web3 ecosystem continue to expand, ASTR's role will become increasingly diversified, providing higher return potential for the Astar community. The vision for ASTR is to become the core asset in the world's largest Web3 ecosystem, reaching billions of users through practical consumer applications and extensive distribution channels.
It is important to emphasize that ASTR's current token economic model remains unchanged. The evolution of ASTR aims to expand its utility without involving additional token supply or emissions. We have established collaborations with multiple interoperability protocols and solution providers to ensure ASTR has sufficient technical scalability when it launches on the Soneium mainnet.
Why the Soneium ecosystem?
Currently, Web3 faces two core challenges: insufficient user scale and a lack of applications that attract mainstream users. Most existing Web3 technologies and services primarily target niche communities and have not yet formed the capacity to attract broader public participation or meet everyday use needs. Bridging this gap hinges on establishing distribution channels and practical use cases that meet the needs of a wider audience, thereby attracting real-world users.
Realizing this vision requires an ecosystem partner capable of reaching a broad user base and possessing effective distribution channels and resources to seamlessly integrate Web3 technology into existing Web2 businesses and consumer domains. Based on this strategic goal, Astar has become a contributor to Soneium, working together to promote the mass adoption of Web3.
The uniqueness of Soneium
Soneium is a public blockchain developed based on the OP Stack, as part of the Superchain, providing a highly secure, scalable, and interoperable environment that any user can participate in. Soneium is developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture between Sony Group and Startale Group, leveraging Sony Group's diversified business units and global distribution network to promote the deployment of new Web3 services.
This unique approach not only attracts existing Web3 users but also reaches out to the general public who have yet to engage with Web3. By focusing on the creator economy, Soneium opens up new business opportunities and interaction models, helping creators expand their influence in both the digital and real worlds, accelerating the mainstream application of blockchain technology.
The synergy between Astar and Soneium
Astar's rich experience in Web3 technology development perfectly complements Soneium's capabilities aimed at the mainstream market. Through collaboration with Startale, the strengths of both parties can be maximized, enabling Astar to play a leading role in the wave of global Web3 adoption.
As an important component of the first phase of Astar's evolution plan, Astar has taken a significant step towards globalization through cooperation with Soneium. This collaboration aims to explore and implement more practical use cases targeting a wide range of users, such as digital content copyright management to protect creators' rights, incentive mechanisms for creators to interact with fans, and efficient tools to support digital asset trading and management.
By continuously investing in and developing user groups unfamiliar with Web3, Astar is committed to expanding the influence of Web3, nurturing everyday application scenarios, and ultimately realizing the vision of Web3 services naturally integrating into daily life.
Governance v1: Astar's decentralized hub
To support the transition to a collaborative body, Astar has introduced the Governance v1 model, with Astar L1 serving as the governance hub of the ecosystem and establishing three core councils:
Main Council
The Main Council consists of core contributors and deeply engaged participants from the Astar Foundation, responsible for promoting mass adoption of Web3 through project incubation, technological development, and strategic investment.
Technical Council
The Technical Council is composed of contributors well-versed in Astar L1 technology, responsible for critical technical decisions, promoting further development of the ecosystem, and maintaining its technical security and stability.
Community Council
The Community Council is composed of foundation contributors and active community members, responsible for promoting community building, marketing, partnership expansion, and the implementation of dApp Staking, facilitating the adoption of Web3 among a wider audience.
We plan to achieve Astar's foundational governance mechanism by the end of 2025. At that time, Astar's ecosystem will further mature, realizing practical applications of Web3 and entering the next stage of governance structure optimization.
Astar's roadmap
From 2024 to 2025, Astar's development will focus on further evolving the ecosystem collaboration and expanding the influence of the ecosystem through deep cooperation with Soneium. These plans will facilitate the growth of practical applications, strengthen community engagement, and expand the utility of ASTR, aligning with the interests of holders.
Second half of 2024
Promote the upgrade of Astar Network to a collaborative body, focusing on the development of practical applications.
Expand the scope of dApp Staking to include projects within the Soneium ecosystem.
Launch Governance v1, establishing the main council, technical council, and community council.
Incubate and support the growth of the Soneium application ecosystem.
Collaborate with Soneium core applications to ensure alignment of interests with ASTR holders:
Collaborate with DeFi and consumer dApp developers on Soneium to position ASTR as a core asset.
Launch ASTR staking activities supported by Soneium core applications on Astar L1.
Discuss dApp Staking incentive mechanisms with Soneium core applications.
First half of 2025
Support the successful launch of the Soneium mainnet.
Establish and nurture the Soneium developer and user community.
Fully deploy ASTR within the Soneium ecosystem, including DeFi, consumer dApps, and the infrastructure layer.
Hold incentive activities covering the entire ecosystem to promote the practical application of Web3, further enhancing the synergy between ASTR and the Soneium ecosystem.
Make selective investments in high-potential projects within the Soneium ecosystem to support their growth and ensure alignment of interests.
Launch an expanded dApp Staking program covering new projects within the Soneium ecosystem.
