Pump.fun Unveils 'Project Ascend' to Address Sustainability Concerns in Solana Ecosystem

Solana-based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun has unveiled "Project Ascend," a sweeping update to its ecosystem aimed at addressing sustainability issues for token creators. The centerpiece is a reimagined creator fee system, Dynamic Fees V1, which reduces fees as a token's market capitalization grows. This change is intended to encourage fresh talent and support real builds on Solana, addressing problems with its earlier Creator Fees initiative. The update comes at a key moment for Pump.fun, which has recently announced its first acquisition and launched a public token sale.

Solana-based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun has announced "Project Ascend," a sweeping update to its ecosystem aimed at addressing sustainability issues for token creators. The centerpiece of the initiative is Dynamic Fees V1, a reimagined creator fee system that reduces fees as a token's market capitalization grows. This change is intended to encourage fresh talent and support real builds on Solana, addressing problems with its earlier Creator Fees initiative.

The announcement sent Pump.fun's native token PUMP surging more than 10%, as traders reacted to the promise of "100x growth" across the platform. The new fee structure aims to make launching new coins 10x more rewarding, encouraging fresh talent ranging from streamers to startups. The system will reduce creator fees as a token's market capitalization grows, ensuring that successful projects can scale without being weighed down by costs.

Pump.fun argues that the change directly addresses the shortcomings of its earlier Creator Fees initiative, which faced community criticism and proved ineffective in covering the costs of building real projects. The updated fee model, combined with faster processing of community takeover applications for inactive tokens, is intended to give legitimate builders a clearer path to sustainability.

The update comes at a key moment for Pump.fun. In recent weeks, the platform has rolled out a series of expansions designed to strengthen its footprint within Solana's ecosystem. On July 17, it announced its first acquisition, purchasing wallet-tracking tool Kolscan to integrate advanced analytics and social trading features. Just days later, the project launched its public token sale, seeking to raise up to $600 million, representing 15% of PUMP's total supply.

Despite the momentum, questions linger about whether Project Ascend can meaningfully curb the plague of rug pulls and failed meme coins. The platform's promise of becoming "the hub for the most successful projects and creators" rests on its ability to turn structural incentives into long-term value.

Pump.fun has also introduced a real-time revenue dashboard, reporting over $58 million in token buybacks to date, equivalent to offsetting 4.26% of the circulating supply. Additionally, the platform has launched the Glass Full Foundation, a fund dedicated to injecting liquidity into promising community-driven projects.

The update coincides with a notable price rebound for the PUMP token. As of late August 2025, the token was trading around $0.003, up from an all-time low of $0.00228 in late July. The price surge was supported by Pump.fun's ongoing token buyback program, which saw the platform repurchase $10.6 million worth of PUMP tokens in the last week alone, bringing the total buybacks to nearly $59 million, or 4.3% of supply.

References:
[1] https://cryptonews.com/news/pumpfun-rolls-out-project-ascend-curb-rug-pulls/
[2] https://www.ainvest.com/news/solana-news-today-pump-fun-project-ascend-aims-solve-meme-coin-longevity-2509/