Étienne Girard
Raydium, a leading decentralized exchange (DEX) within the Solana ecosystem, is preparing to introduce its own meme coin launchpad to rival Pump.fun. This move comes just weeks after reports surfaced that Pump.fun was developing a proprietary automated market maker (AMM), potentially replacing Raydium’s role in the process.
Pump.fun, which skyrocketed in popularity in early 2024, contributes over 35% of Raydium’s total revenue. Following a recent leak of Pump.fun’s AMM code, InfraRAY, a key Raydium contributor, warned that shifting away from Raydium could be a strategic mistake.
Raydium remains one of the most profitable decentralized exchanges in the industry. In 2024 alone, it generated approximately $154 million in swap fees, with projected revenues reaching $1 million per day across all its liquidity pools.
Currently, Pump.fun relies on Raydium for secondary market trading of tokens that reach a $69,000 market cap. Once the bonding curve fills, these tokens are seamlessly transferred from Pump.fun to Raydium’s platform.
LaunchLab: Raydium’s Answer to Pump.fun
According to Blockworks, Raydium’s upcoming project, dubbed “LaunchLab,” will function as a fork of Pump.fun but with key modifications:
- A logarithmic bonding curve similar to Pump.fun
- Third-party UI integrations that allow external platforms to set fees
- Direct access to Raydium’s liquidity pools, enhancing token trading efficiency
The LaunchLab initiative has reportedly been in development for several months, signaling Raydium’s strategic expansion in response to Pump.fun’s growing market influence.
Pump.fun’s Native Token Plans & Raydium’s Market Performance
Meanwhile, Pump.fun is rumored to be preparing for a native token launch, further intensifying competition in the meme coin ecosystem.
Raydium’s native token, RAY, has already reacted positively to the news, surging over 5% to $1.67. With LaunchLab on the horizon, the rivalry between Raydium and Pump.fun is set to reshape the Solana-based meme coin market.
