BonkFun, a Solana-based meme coin launchpad, has introduced a significant shift in its incentive structure, moving focus from token creators to active traders. The platform announced "Winners Arc," a weekly trading competition that will distribute $200,000 to the most profitable traders on supported USD1 pairs via Axiom Exchange.
The program ranks participants by realized profit and pays the top 50 traders each week directly. To qualify, traders must operate on supported USD1 pairs during the active reward window and finish the week with positive realized PnL. BonkFun described this as its first concrete step toward "putting trenchers first," signaling a clear strategic pivot.
This move follows recent platform adjustments. Just last week, BonkFun announced "BONK Classic" launches with zero creator fees and a reduced 0.30% swap fee, with most of that fee routed back into liquidity. The platform maintains an alternative "BONKERS" launch option with higher potential creator fees but reduced swap fees, offering communities a choice between trader-first and creator-first economics.
BonkFun COO Solport Tom framed the changes as part of a broader reset, stating the team spent months reworking systems to address structural problems, particularly around creator fees. He noted the partnership with Axiom and the weekly rewards are meant to make BonkFun competitive again after a period where incentives drifted away from active traders.
The strategy stands in direct contrast to rival platform Pump.fun, which continues to emphasize creator economics. Earlier in January, Pump.fun overhauled its creator fee system, allowing fees to be split across multiple wallets and adjusting how they scale with market capitalization. While acknowledging past incentives skewed toward low-risk coin creation, Pump.fun has not removed creator fees.
The divergence is evident in platform data. Over a recent 24-hour period, Pump.fun saw more than 24,500 tokens created compared to about 3,290 on BonkFun. Pump.fun also led in volume, active addresses, and fee generation by a wide margin. BonkFun's changes suggest it is less focused on raw issuance numbers and more on re-attracting experienced traders through lower friction and direct rewards.
Taken together, these developments point to a deliberate shift in the meme coin launchpad landscape, with platforms adopting different core strategies—BonkFun betting on trader rewards and reduced creator extraction, while Pump.fun maintains its creator-driven model with structural tweaks.
