In an effort to address rampant short-termism in the Solana memecoin scene, Pump.fun has unveiled a new revenue-sharing model that allows token creators to earn a portion of trading fees — a move designed to replace fast exits with longer-term incentives.
Starting this week, 50% of fees from PumpSwap — the platform’s decentralized exchange — will be routed to creators. That amounts to 0.05% (5 basis points) of all trading volume in SOL for each token, regardless of whether it’s newly launched, still on its bonding curve, or actively traded on the open market.
The impact could be meaningful. At $10 million in trading volume, a developer would now earn $5,000 in SOL, immediately available via an on-chain claim system through Pump.fun’s dashboard.
The model challenges the prevailing norms of memecoin economics, where developers have typically had one viable strategy: accumulate their tokens early and sell them as retail interest ramps up. This dynamic has fueled speculative mania and pump-and-dump behavior, often leaving communities holding the bag.
Pump.fun’s founder Alon Cohen emphasized the platform’s long-term mission. “We’re here to grow trenches — real communities, not just cash grabs,” Cohen said in a post on X. “The old model encouraged devs to sell fast. Now we’re giving them a reason to stick around.”
The new structure is expected to attract more diverse and ambitious projects, including creator-led communities, content ecosystems, and even tokens tied to live streams or events — all areas where sustained engagement matters more than launch-day volume.
Since launching in late 2023, Pump.fun has become a breakout star in the Solana ecosystem, minting tens of thousands of tokens and helping incubate viral hits like dogwifhat (WIF). But it has also drawn criticism for making it too easy to launch low-effort tokens that thrive on hype.
This revenue-sharing shift may be the platform’s answer to that criticism — a mechanism that encourages builders to create value over time rather than exploit brief speculative windows.
Whether it can change behavior in a memecoin culture built on speed and memes remains to be seen. But for now, it’s a bold bet on making crypto a little more sustainable — one token at a time.
