Pump.fun, the popular Solana-based memecoin launchpad, has announced a major overhaul of its creator fee system, introducing a new fee-sharing model and signaling a strategic shift to prioritize trading activity over token creation. The platform's co-founder, Alon Cohen, announced the changes via X, stating that the previous fee model had created "dangerous" incentives by rewarding low-risk coin creation instead of high-risk trading, which is considered the "lifeblood of the platform."
The new model, dubbed "creator fee sharing," allows token creators to distribute fees across up to 10 designated wallets directly through the Pump.fun app or web interface. This aims to improve transparency and trust, addressing previous clunky processes where teams relied on informal arrangements or community takeovers to share revenue. Under the new system, fee claims are synchronized, and unclaimed fees remain permanently available to assigned wallets.
The overhaul follows the introduction of "Dynamic Fees V1" in 2025 under Project Ascend, which tied creator fees to a token's market capitalization. While that system successfully boosted platform activity—bonding curve volumes more than doubled—Cohen argued it failed to change core user behavior. The incentive structure continued to reward the act of launching a token, a relatively low-risk activity, rather than encouraging the trading and development needed for long-term project sustainability.
The update arrives as Pump.fun experiences record activity levels, processing $6.6 billion in weekly trading volume, its highest ever. Creator earnings remain substantial, with nearly $7.9 million claimed over the past seven days. However, metrics reveal a concentration of success: while over 27,000 tokens were launched in a single day, fewer than 200 graduated to decentralized exchanges, keeping daily graduation rates below 1%.
Cohen emphasized that these changes are "the first of many to come" and are designed to incentivize the creation of quality, sustainable assets. The platform's goal is to make trading, rather than constant new token minting, its main source of fees and a more user-friendly experience. He also stated that no member of the Pump.fun or Terminal team will accept creator fees.
The platform's native token, PUMP, saw a positive short-term reaction, trading around $0.0024, up roughly 10% over 24 hours following the announcement.
