Pump.fun Ditches Volume Rewards, Shifts Creator Payouts to Follower Profits

Starting October 10, Pump.fun is shifting its callout reward structure to pay creators based on whether their followers actually execute profitable trades, abandoning the previous model that simply rewarded raw trading volume. The platform is specifically reducing payouts for recommendations on low-cap tokens, targeting a dynamic where coordinated pumps on illiquid assets often leave late buyers holding the bag. The reward program initially launched around August 2026 with an approximate budget of $15 million set aside for daily USDC payouts to eligible participants. Pump.fun has opted not to disclose the exact methodology for measuring follower benefit, a move co-founder Alon suggests will prevent creators from reverse-engineering the system while simultaneously obscuring how daily payouts are calculated.