Sony Plans US Stablecoin for Game & Anime Purchases in 2025

According to the Nikkei report, Sony’s planned stablecoin is designed specifically for the U.S. market, where customers would use it to pay for subscriptions and content within Sony’s digital universe. This includes its thriving PlayStation platform—encompassing digital games and subscriptions for the PlayStation 5 console, PC titles, and cloud-streamed games—as well as the popular Crunchyroll anime streaming service. The primary financial incentive for Sony is clear: by routing payments through its own stablecoin, the company aims to significantly reduce the payment processing fees typically incurred when customers use credit cards. To build the necessary infrastructure, Sony Bank has reportedly partnered with the stablecoin firm Bastion.

This move is not occurring in a regulatory vacuum. Its feasibility in the United States is largely attributed to the passage of the GENIUS Act earlier this year, which established a clearer federal framework for issuing and overseeing stablecoins. The regulatory pathway paved by this bill has given corporations like Sony the confidence to develop dollar-pegged digital currencies for consumer use. However, the plan has not been without controversy. After Sony Bank filed to acquire a U.S. national banking charter in October—a license that would permit its subsidiary, Connectia Trust, to engage in specified cryptocurrency activities—the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) urged regulators to block the bid. The ICBA argued that Sony was attempting to exploit regulatory loopholes to avoid the traditional oversight applied to established banks.

Sony’s stablecoin plan represents the latest and most concrete step in a years-long exploration of blockchain and crypto implementations. The company’s interest in this technology is well-documented through a series of patent filings and project launches. As far back as 2021, Sony applied for a U.S. patent to create a standardized digital infrastructure that would allow gamers to own and transfer non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The patent application detailed that these NFTs could represent in-game items like skins, avatars, artwork, weapons, or even “video game skills.” That same year, Sony also filed for a separate patent for a system that would track digital assets in video games using a blockchain ledger.

More recently, in January 2025, Sony and its partner Startale Group launched Soneium, an Ethereum layer-2 network, into mainnet. The launch sparked speculation that major PlayStation game franchises might migrate elements of their ecosystems onto the blockchain. However, as of now, no flagship Sony title has integrated crypto features on Soneium. Instead, the network has cultivated a niche hosting NFT music collections, a growing library of smaller independent games, and even hosted a tie-in with Square Enix’s now-shuttered crypto title, Symbiogenesis. This trajectory suggests Sony is taking a measured, incremental approach to blockchain adoption, testing the waters with ancillary projects before integrating the technology into its core gaming experiences.

The potential launch of a Sony stablecoin signals a significant shift in how major entertainment conglomerates view digital currency—not merely as a speculative asset but as a functional tool for ecosystem management. By creating a closed-loop payment system, Sony could enhance user retention, capture valuable spending data, and improve profit margins by sidestepping intermediary financial institutions. This strategy aligns with a broader industry trend where platform owners seek to control more aspects of the user experience, from content creation to distribution and payment.

For consumers, the immediate benefit touted by Sony is reduced fees, which could theoretically lead to lower prices or more value-retained subscriptions. However, the success of this initiative will hinge on several factors: regulatory approval for Sony Bank’s charter, seamless technical integration by partner Bastion, and, crucially, user adoption. Convincing millions of PlayStation and Crunchyroll users to transition from familiar credit card payments to a Sony-branded stablecoin will be a substantial challenge. It will require a frictionless onboarding process and a compelling value proposition beyond marginal fee savings. If successful, Sony could establish a powerful blueprint for other media and tech giants looking to merge content ecosystems with proprietary financial networks.