Pump.fun, a memecoin launchpad, has tightened controls on how token creators can change fee recipients, allowing only a single post‑launch redirection before the recipient configuration becomes permanently locked. Co‑founder Alon Cohen said the update, announced on X, is intended to reduce ‘griefing’ and other manipulative behaviors in which creators alter fee recipients after a token gains traction.
The update follows a broader platform overhaul that began in January, which added multi‑wallet distributions and other post‑launch controls to better align incentives with trading activity. In February Pump.fun introduced Cashback Coins, forcing creators at launch to choose whether fees go to themselves or are redirected to traders; that high‑level decision was locked at launch, but creators could still change the specific recipient wallets afterward. Under the new rule, creators get one opportunity after launch to redirect creator fees; once that single change is made, the recipient setup is fixed forever.
Community reaction has been mixed. Some users described the move as a modest improvement that does not fully address trading dynamics and incentive misalignments, while others welcomed it as at least an acknowledgment of the problem and a step toward greater stability and predictability for traders.
The change comes amid a sharp year‑over‑year decline in Pump.fun’s fees and trading volume. DefiLlama data show January 2026 fees of $31.8 million, down roughly 75% from $148 million in January 2025, and February 2026 revenue of $25 million, about 66% lower than nearly $75 million in February 2025. Monthly trading volume fell from about $11.6 billion in January 2025 to roughly $2.1 billion in January 2026 (an approximately 81% drop), and from $6.1 billion in February 2025 to about $1.91 billion in February 2026.
Cointelegraph reported the update and noted it continues Pump.fun’s effort to rebalance rewards between token deployers and traders while curbing post‑launch manipulations.
