Raydium Launches LaunchLab, Challenges Pump.fun's 40% Weekly Surge

Raydium, a leading decentralized exchange (DEX) on Solana, has launched LaunchLab, a new token creation platform that directly challenges Pump.fun's dominance in the Solana ecosystem. This move follows months of speculation and comes after Pump.fun introduced its own DEX, PumpSwap, a few weeks ago. LaunchLab aims to provide a seamless on-chain token creation process with immediate trading capabilities, positioning Raydium as a major player in the token launch space.

LaunchLab offers a permissionless, fast, and customizable launch process, allowing creators and developers to launch tokens and begin trading immediately on Raydium's automated market maker (AMM). The platform supports custom transaction fees and includes a referral program that rewards users in SOL. It also features two modes: a customizable launch feature for complex projects and a simplified "JustSendIt" mode for quicker launches. In the latter, once 85 SOL is raised through a bonding curve, liquidity is automatically migrated to a Raydium pool, and trading continues without interruption.

The platform's trading fee structure includes a 1% base fee, with 50% going to a community pool, 25% to $RAY token buybacks, and 25% to infrastructure and operations. Creators can opt in to earn 10% of trading fees from their token’s AMM pool after launch, incentivizing long-term development and sustainability. Additionally, LaunchLab introduces a referral program that pays 10 basis points of swap volume to wallets that refer new users, automatically airdropping SOL to incentivize platform growth. For developers, LaunchLab offers integrated token visibility across multiple terminals and apps, designed to streamline distribution from day one.

Pump.fun's PumpSwap, launched on March 20, has rapidly gained ground in the Solana DEX ecosystem. The platform processed $2.5 billion in trades last week, with a 40% week-over-week surge. Since its launch, PumpSwap has cleared nearly $100 million in trades. Dune data shows PumpSwap recorded over 6.1 million daily swaps on April 12, 5.7 million on April 14, and over 264,000 active wallets on that day. That same day, the platform hit a record $417.8 million daily trading volume, generating $14.2 million in fees.

Raydium's LaunchLab is a significant development in the Solana DEX ecosystem, as it directly challenges Pump.fun's dominance. The platform's features, such as seamless on-chain token creation and immediate trading, position Raydium as a major player in the token launch space. The move also reflects a broader industry shift toward decentralization, innovation, and fierce competition. As the rivalry between Raydium and Pump.fun intensifies, it remains to be seen how this will shape the future of decentralized project launches and the Solana ecosystem as a whole.