Pump.fun Snaps Up Padre as Solana Launchpad Seeks Trading Edge
Acquisition Expands Solana Trading Reach
Pump.fun, the Solana-based launchpad that assisted drive last year’s memecoin boom, said it has acquired the Padre trading terminal for an undisclosed sum. The deal, announced Friday on X, comes as activity across the memecoin sector continues to contract later than record highs in 2024.
The company said the purchase would strengthen liquidity and trading depth for tokens listed on its platform. “Trading terminals are key to higher onchain volume,” Pump.fun wrote in a post announcing the acquisition. Padre offers a multichain interface with cashback incentives, low fees and trader support, features Pump.fun said would be integrated into its existing ecosystem.
Padre operates across ETH, Solana, BNB Chain and Base, but has built a following among retail traders in Solana’s memecoin circles. It will continue to operate under its own brand following the acquisition, according to people familiar with the matter.
Investor Takeaway
Falling Volumes Hit Memecoin Platforms
Pump.fun remains the largest launchpad for Solana-based memecoins, though its market share has dropped sharply from 75% at its 2024 peak to about 44%, according to data from Jupiter. Monthly revenue fell below $25 million in July, an 80% slide from January levels, as speculative trading eased. The platform spent heavily on purchasebacks earlier this year to support its native PUMP .
DefiLlama figures show a modest recovery in August and September, but volumes remain well below late-2024 highs. The broader memecoin market has followed the identical pattern: CoinMarketCap data shows a 21% decline in total capitalization over the past month, worsened by the Oct. 10 tradeoff that triggered widespread liquidations across .
The correction has eroded retail enthusiasm that fueled the 2024 frenzy, when Solana’s low fees and viral culture produced a wave of meme tokens generating hundreds of millions in daily turnover. Traders have since shifted toward higher-liquidity majors or yield-bearing , leaving memecoin launchpads searching for new revenue models.
Padre’s Role and Market Outlook
Padre’s multichain reach and focus on trading execution could give Pump.fun an edge in user retention and cross-network liquidity. Its integration is expected to streamline order flow between Solana and other ecosystems, potentially bringing more institutional participants to a segment still dominated by retail traders.
The acquisition also points to a wider theme in the post-memecoin market: survival through infrastructure. While speculative mania has cooled, platforms that can combine listing tools, liquidity and analytics may continue to attract steady usage even as trading margins tighten. For Pump.fun, absorbing Padre could assist offset the volatility that has hit its core business over the past six months.
Investor Takeaway
What Comes Next
Pump.fun has not disclosed whether Padre’s existing user interface will merge with its launchpad or remain independent. Developers familiar with both platforms said integration could take place gradually over the next quarter, focusing first on unified liquidity routing. Pump.fun’s acquisition follows several weeks of rumors that Solana ecosystem projects were viewking issuance pipelines.
While the price of Solana’s native token (SOL) has recovered from last year’s lows, onchain activity tied to meme tokens remains subdued. Whether Pump.fun’s bet on infrastructure can reverse that trend will depend on whether the platform can turn consolidation into sustained liquidity—something the memecoin market has struggled to achieve since its speculative peak.
