04-16-2025, 12:06 PM
Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds
<p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDQvMDE5NjNkNzQtZDM5MS03ODU3LTlhOWEtNjc5NTljMWY2Yzc3.jpg"></p><p><p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDQvMDE5NjNkNzQtZDM5MS03ODU3LTlhOWEtNjc5NTljMWY2Yzc3.jpg" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"></p><p class="post-content__disclaimer" type="">Update April 16, 10:50 am UTC: This article has been updated to clarify the relationship between Astar and Soneium.<p>Astar, a Japanese Web3 adoption collective bridging Astar Network and Soneium, said it has slashed Soneium’s blockchain finality time by over 98%, as it aims to solve one of the biggest challenges in blockchain scalability.</p><p>Astar announced a strategic partnership with AltLayer and EigenLayer, to launch a “Fast Finality Layer” for Soneium, a <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/a-beginners-guide-on-blockchain-layer-2-scaling-solutions" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">Layer-2 (L2) blockchain</a> network developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs.</p><p>In blockchain settlement, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/explained/what-is-finality-in-blockchain-and-why-does-it-matter" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">finality</a> is the assurance that a transaction is irreversible, which happens after it is added to a block on the blockchain ledger.</p><p>The new finality layer provides a crypto-economic security guarantee through a decentralized network of validators to reduce the reliance on centralized sequencers and enable more secure crosschain interactions.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-04/01963d98-6984-7628-9250-ff3b7f4a2b7c" title="" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>Soneium, ALtLayer, EigenLayer partnership. Source: Astar Network</em></p></figcaption></figure><p>This could result in a sub-10-second transaction finality for Soneium, a 98% reduction from its initial 15-minute finality, which was achieved through Optimism’s OP Stack, according to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.</p><p>The new validator network will be secured by both restaked Ether (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/ethereum-price" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">ETH</a>) and Astar (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/astar-price-index" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">ASTR</a>) tokens.</p><p>Reducing blockchain finality is key for enabling more advanced <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/defi-a-comprehensive-guide-to-decentralized-finance" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">decentralized finance (DeFi)</a> use cases and improving developer and user experience, since most solutions experience finality delays from 15 minutes to several days, according to Maarten Henskens, head of Astar Foundation.</p><p>The new partnership is a “crucial step toward secure, high-speed, crosschain interoperability,” he told Cointelegraph, adding:</p><blockquote>“It’s a foundational improvement in UX and trust: users no longer need to wait or “double-check” if a transaction will be reversed, and developers can confidently build real-time, interactive applications without worrying about delayed finality.”</blockquote><p>“This milestone is just the beginning — and there’s a much larger story unfolding around how fast finality will reshape developer UX, DeFi, and crosschain experiences,” he added.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-04/01963d98-6db6-7ee6-a9fd-259c9d44296c" title="" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>L2s by blockchain finality time. Source: </em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality"><em>L2beat</em></a><em> </em></p></figcaption></figure><p>Arbitrum One is currently the fastest blockchain, with an average finality time of one minute, the same as Coinbase’s Base L2 network, both relying on optimistic rollups, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">L2beat</a> data shows.</p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-lending-down-43-2021-highs-defi-borrowing-recovers-959" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Crypto lending down 43% from 2021 highs, DeFi borrowing surges 959%</strong></em></a></p><h2>Blockchain L2 finality a key bottleneck for adoption</h2><p>Solving blockchain finality remains the biggest barrier to mainstream Web3 adoption, according to YQ Jia, CEO of AltLayer.</p><p>“By combining EigenLayer’s restaking with MACH validation and support from Astar Network, we’re creating an infrastructure that offers the best of both worlds — Ethereum’s security guarantees with near-instant finality,” Jia said. “This is exactly the kind of solution needed to bring blockchain technology to mainstream adoption.”</p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/kraken-crypto-exchange-expands-us-stocks-etfs" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Kraken rolls out ETF and stock access for US crypto traders</strong></em></a></p><p>EigenLayer has sought to advance mainstream blockchain adoption since it launched.</p><p>In February 2025, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/eigenlayer-cartesi-hackathon-ai-blockchain" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">EigenLayer and blockchain protocol Cartesi</a> launched a new initiative to find the next key prototype consumer application with new use cases that may bolster mainstream crypto adoption.</p><iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAKua04NzNw?start=" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe><p><em><strong>Magazine: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/financial-nihilism-crypto-over-dream-big-again/" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again</strong></em></a></p><template data-name="subscription_form" data-type="defi_newsletter" label="Subscription Form: DeFi Newsletter"></template></p>
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https://cointelegraph.com/news/sony-sone...er_inbound
<p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDQvMDE5NjNkNzQtZDM5MS03ODU3LTlhOWEtNjc5NTljMWY2Yzc3.jpg"></p><p><p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDQvMDE5NjNkNzQtZDM5MS03ODU3LTlhOWEtNjc5NTljMWY2Yzc3.jpg" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"></p><p class="post-content__disclaimer" type="">Update April 16, 10:50 am UTC: This article has been updated to clarify the relationship between Astar and Soneium.<p>Astar, a Japanese Web3 adoption collective bridging Astar Network and Soneium, said it has slashed Soneium’s blockchain finality time by over 98%, as it aims to solve one of the biggest challenges in blockchain scalability.</p><p>Astar announced a strategic partnership with AltLayer and EigenLayer, to launch a “Fast Finality Layer” for Soneium, a <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/a-beginners-guide-on-blockchain-layer-2-scaling-solutions" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">Layer-2 (L2) blockchain</a> network developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs.</p><p>In blockchain settlement, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/explained/what-is-finality-in-blockchain-and-why-does-it-matter" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">finality</a> is the assurance that a transaction is irreversible, which happens after it is added to a block on the blockchain ledger.</p><p>The new finality layer provides a crypto-economic security guarantee through a decentralized network of validators to reduce the reliance on centralized sequencers and enable more secure crosschain interactions.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-04/01963d98-6984-7628-9250-ff3b7f4a2b7c" title="" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>Soneium, ALtLayer, EigenLayer partnership. Source: Astar Network</em></p></figcaption></figure><p>This could result in a sub-10-second transaction finality for Soneium, a 98% reduction from its initial 15-minute finality, which was achieved through Optimism’s OP Stack, according to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph.</p><p>The new validator network will be secured by both restaked Ether (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/ethereum-price" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">ETH</a>) and Astar (<a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/astar-price-index" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">ASTR</a>) tokens.</p><p>Reducing blockchain finality is key for enabling more advanced <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/defi-a-comprehensive-guide-to-decentralized-finance" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">decentralized finance (DeFi)</a> use cases and improving developer and user experience, since most solutions experience finality delays from 15 minutes to several days, according to Maarten Henskens, head of Astar Foundation.</p><p>The new partnership is a “crucial step toward secure, high-speed, crosschain interoperability,” he told Cointelegraph, adding:</p><blockquote>“It’s a foundational improvement in UX and trust: users no longer need to wait or “double-check” if a transaction will be reversed, and developers can confidently build real-time, interactive applications without worrying about delayed finality.”</blockquote><p>“This milestone is just the beginning — and there’s a much larger story unfolding around how fast finality will reshape developer UX, DeFi, and crosschain experiences,” he added.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-04/01963d98-6db6-7ee6-a9fd-259c9d44296c" title="" alt="Sony’s Soneium taps EigenLayer to cut finality to under 10 seconds"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>L2s by blockchain finality time. Source: </em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality"><em>L2beat</em></a><em> </em></p></figcaption></figure><p>Arbitrum One is currently the fastest blockchain, with an average finality time of one minute, the same as Coinbase’s Base L2 network, both relying on optimistic rollups, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://l2beat.com/scaling/finality" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">L2beat</a> data shows.</p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-lending-down-43-2021-highs-defi-borrowing-recovers-959" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Crypto lending down 43% from 2021 highs, DeFi borrowing surges 959%</strong></em></a></p><h2>Blockchain L2 finality a key bottleneck for adoption</h2><p>Solving blockchain finality remains the biggest barrier to mainstream Web3 adoption, according to YQ Jia, CEO of AltLayer.</p><p>“By combining EigenLayer’s restaking with MACH validation and support from Astar Network, we’re creating an infrastructure that offers the best of both worlds — Ethereum’s security guarantees with near-instant finality,” Jia said. “This is exactly the kind of solution needed to bring blockchain technology to mainstream adoption.”</p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/kraken-crypto-exchange-expands-us-stocks-etfs" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Kraken rolls out ETF and stock access for US crypto traders</strong></em></a></p><p>EigenLayer has sought to advance mainstream blockchain adoption since it launched.</p><p>In February 2025, <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/eigenlayer-cartesi-hackathon-ai-blockchain" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">EigenLayer and blockchain protocol Cartesi</a> launched a new initiative to find the next key prototype consumer application with new use cases that may bolster mainstream crypto adoption.</p><iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TAKua04NzNw?start=" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe><p><em><strong>Magazine: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/financial-nihilism-crypto-over-dream-big-again/" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again</strong></em></a></p><template data-name="subscription_form" data-type="defi_newsletter" label="Subscription Form: DeFi Newsletter"></template></p>
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https://cointelegraph.com/news/sony-sone...er_inbound