Pump.fun launches lending platform to finance memecoin buys

Pump.fun is launching a lending platform to enable users to buy memecoins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with borrowed cryptocurrency, the Solana-based memecoin launchpad said. 

Dubbed Pump.Fi, the onchain lending protocol provides “immediate… financing for [any] digital asset,” Pump.fun said in an April 1 X post.

According to Pump.fun, borrowers pay one-third up front and the rest over 60 days. In addition, Pump.Fi will create a marketplace for lenders to buy debt. The protocol did not specify how Pump.Fi — which doesn’t do credit checks — plans to ensure repayment of undercollateralized onchain loans. 

Pump.Fi will let users borrow to buy memecoins. Source: Pump.fun

Related: Pump.fun launches own DEX, drops Raydium

Competitive market

Pump.fun has been grappling with a sharp drawdown in memecoin trading activity on Solana after several high-profile scandals — such as the LIBRA token’s disastrous launch — soured sentiment on memecoins among retail traders. 

Adding onchain lending has the potential to draw more liquidity into the space, which has seen trading volumes stabilize in recent weeks, according to data from Dune Analytics.

Pump.fun has also been expanding its offerings to stay ahead of mounting competition from rival platforms.

Raydium, Solana’s largest decentralized exchange (DEX) by volume, plans to roll out its own memecoin launchpad, LaunchLab. 

Other rival protocols — including Daos.fun, GoFundMeme, and Pumpkin — are also vying for a share of Solana’s memecoin market. 

Number of tokens successfully “bonding” on Pump.fun each day. Source: Dune Analytics

On March 20, Pump.fun launched its own DEX — known as PumpSwap — to replace Raydium as the final home for tokens that successfully bootstrap liquidity on Pump.fun.

Switching to PumpSwap has streamlined PumpFun’s process for listing new tokens and cut costs for users, it said.

PumpSwap also plans to start distributing a portion of trading fees to coin creators, according to Pump.fun co-founder Alon.

The newly launched DEX has already captured a more than 10% share of Solana’s trading volumes and even overtaken Raydium — along with every other Solana app — in 24-hour fees, according to data from Dune Analytics and DefiLlama. On April 1, PumpSwap generated nearly $4 million in fees.

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