In-depth essays · #42 / 50 · L2 Rollups, Federations & Interoperability
Why Sony (Soneium), Kakao & LINE (Kaia), and Robinhood Built Public Districts in Ethereum City
How global media, messenger, and fintech giants abandoned private intranets for the open EVM ecosystem
A decade ago, major corporations experimented with closed ‘private blockchains’—isolated corporate databases that couldn’t talk to public wallets or stablecoins. Between 2024 and 2026, global giants like Sony Group (Soneium), Kakao & LINE (Kaia), Robinhood (Robinhood Chain), and Coinbase (Base) took the opposite route: building open districts directly inside the public Ethereum ecosystem.
1. Why Open Public Rollups Beat Closed Corporate Intranets
Just as companies in the 1990s realized that public websites on the open internet beat closed corporate intranets, modern enterprises build on the EVM and Ethereum L2 stacks so they can tap directly into global USDC/USDT liquidity, existing wallet standards, and battle-tested smart contracts from day one.
2. Sony Group’s Soneium: Bringing Music, Anime, and Gaming Fandoms onto the Superchain
Opened in January 2025 by Sony Block Solutions Labs (a joint venture of Sony Group and Startale), Soneium runs on the OP Stack in Ethereum City’s western quarter—giving creators and fans across music, entertainment, and gaming an open home for digital collectibles and fan engagement.
3. Kaia: Merging Kakao’s Klaytn and LINE’s Finschia Across 250M+ Messenger Users
Formed in August 2024 by uniting Klaytn and Finschia, Kaia brings 1-second EVM blocks directly into the LINE and KakaoTalk messengers across Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia via seamless Mini Dapps.
4. Fintech Giants on the East and West Avenues: Base, Ink, and Robinhood Chain
Together with Base, Ink, and Robinhood Chain, these districts show how consumer media, messaging, and brokerage platforms now converge around Ethereum’s shared standards.
Related districts in the city
Related glossary terms
This essay is an explainer written to help you read the city; it is not investment advice. Facts on this page are as of 2026-10 and may change. If you spot a mistake, please tell us through the contact page.