Pump.fun Launches $1.3B PUMP ICO Amid Tokenomics Criticism
Pump.fun will hold a $1.32 billion ICO for its native PUMP token on July 12, selling 33% of a fixed 1 trillion supply. The sale comprises an 18% private round at $0.004 per PUMP token and a 15% public round on Gate, with tokens unlocked after a 48–72-hour transfer lock. US and UK residents are excluded.
Ahead of the launch, the PUMP token trades at $0.0056 and has generated $30 million in volume and $17 million in open interest since its perpetual contract debuted on Hyperliquid. Binance Futures will list the contract with up to 3× leverage on July 10.
The tokenomics split—over 37% allocated to team, investors, and ecosystem funds—has sparked Web3 community criticism for its centralized structure. Despite concerns, Pump.fun plans to evolve into a decentralized social platform on Solana (SOL), rewarding users for content creation and livestream monetization.
Bullish
The announcement of the PUMP token ICO and the strong pre-sale trading performance indicate market confidence, likely boosting buying interest in the short term. Listing on major derivatives platforms (Hyperliquid, Binance Futures) provides liquidity and price discovery. Although tokenomics criticisms may temper speculative frenzy, they also highlight governance risks which experienced traders can hedge. Over the long term, the project’s social platform ambitions on Solana could support sustained demand, making the overall outlook bullish.