Solana's "Ecosystem Battle": Raydium and Pump.fun Begin Cake War
In the crypto world, competition has always been the main theme, and the recent internal strife in the Solana ecosystem has taken this "cake-grabbing" drama to a climax.
Last month, the popular Solana meme coin launchpad Pump.fun announced the development of its own AMM to reduce reliance on Raydium. Less than a month later today, Raydium announced the launch of a token launch platform LaunchLab similar to Pump.fun.
With this announcement, it basically signaled the end of the informal partnership between Pump.fun and Raydium. LaunchLab is said to provide linear, exponential, and logarithmic combination curves to match the token's demand and price. It will also allow third-party UIs to set their own fees. The market reacted swiftly to this news, with RAY surging by 16.2% in the past 24 hours at the time of writing, briefly touching $2.05.

Pump.fun's "Betrayal" and Raydium's "Counterattack"
In fact, Raydium and Pump.fun originally had a mutually beneficial relationship. Pump.fun, as a hot meme coin launchpad on Solana, had its token issuance split into two phases: first in the "seed" phase, relying on its own Bonding Curve mechanism for trading matching. Once the trading volume reached $69,000, it would move to the "public" phase, migrating liquidity to Raydium to create pools and continue trading. Raydium, as Solana's mainstream DEX, charges a 0.25% fee per trade, with 0.22% going to LPs, and the remaining 0.03% used to buy back RAY tokens to support ecosystem development. This means Raydium's trading volume directly determines its fee income, thereby affecting RAY's value.
However, if Pump.fun builds its own AMM liquidity pool, the situation changes. Pump.fun's tokens may no longer flow to Raydium but be directly "intercepted" within its protocol. This is undoubtedly a severe blow to Raydium. According to Blockworks Research data, in the past 30 days, Pump.fun's meme coins accounted for 41% of Raydium's trading fee revenue. Raydium's native token plummeted by 25% in February as investors anticipated a significant drop in Raydium's revenue once Pump.fun started migrating tokens to its internal AMM.
Related Reading:《Pump.fun Flip the Table? Self-built AMM Pool Escapes Raydium's Restraints》
Raydium did not sit idly by, as it seemed to have anticipated Pump.fun's "betrayal." Data shows that Raydium still has about $168 million on its balance sheet, enough for some product upgrades and renovations. The advantage of having ample funds is that it allows the company to act quickly, such as suddenly developing a branch of Pump.fun. It was reported that Pump.fun's internal AMM had been circulating in Solana's rumor mill for some time before the leak. This LaunchLab was actually a big move that Raydium had been holding back for several months, indicating that it was not a sudden whim but a carefully planned counterattack. Relying on years of accumulated technical expertise and user base, Raydium aims to directly snatch Pump.fun's rice bowl from the source. This showdown is like a "battle of titans," with neither side willing to back down.
So why did Pump.fun and Raydium suddenly decide to end their mutual assistance and go their separate ways? Perhaps after this year's Memecoin market was harvested by meme coins and wife coins and then suffered repeated bloodbaths, with damage from whale insider trading, low-price chip accumulation, pump and rug-pull, there are no longer many retail investors willing to sit idly by for yet another PvP battle that shatters the dream of instant wealth.
The confrontation between Pump.fun and Raydium may be a desperate battle for remaining traffic and users. Pump.fun aims to "lock" users into its own ecosystem through DEX, while Raydium tries to snatch people from Pump.fun using a Meme launcher.
DeFi Old Playbook: A Reenactment of Vertical Integration
Overall, Pump.fun and Raydium's strategies are not only to improve their own tech stacks but also to engage in vertical integration, taking control of the entire token creation to trading pipeline.
In fact, this "end-to-end full-service" strategy was already common in the previous DeFi cycle. Back then, DeFi protocols were fond of playing the "three-piece set" - trading, lending, stablecoins, wanting to close the entire logic loop. From public chains like Near and Tron to protocols like Aave and Curve, they all entered the stablecoin race, some even making it an initial feature embedded in their own ecosystem. Public chains issued native stablecoins to "self-generate liquidity" or break free from external dependencies, while DeFi protocols built their AMM and lending platforms to solidify the moat of liquidity. The underlying logic is that whoever controls the "three-piece set" can strategically position themselves in the crypto financial ecosystem. Whether a new public chain attracts users with stablecoins or an old protocol embeds lending and trading components, the ultimate goal of vertical integration is scalability and independence.
Related Reading: "Crypto Mass War, The Defense Road to "De-USDC" Stablecoins"
Pump.fun and Raydium are now taking the same path. Pump.fun has a first-mover advantage in the token creation field, while Raydium has a strong foundation in AMM pools, with each side having its own unique strengths. On the bright side, this competition may stimulate the Solana ecosystem to reach new heights; on the other hand, it may lead to further fragmentation of attention and funds in the already illiquid Meme sector, and everyone might end up losing favor. Will this "civil war" in the Solana ecosystem result in each carving out their own territory, or will they fight to mutual destruction in the end? The ultimate success or failure will depend on whether the market and users buy into it.

The "cake" battle between Pump.fun and Raydium may be a microcosm of the escalating competition in the Solana ecosystem. Will the future be separate portals or internal resource consumption? Who will have the last laugh? Let's grab our seats and watch the show.
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Never Underestimate the Significance of the US Stablecoin 'Infrastructure Bill'
If the US stablecoin bill, the "GENIUS Act," passes smoothly this time, its significance will be tremendous. I even think it's significant enough to enter the top five in Crypto history.
Although abbreviated as the GENIUS Act, which translates directly to the Genius Act, it is actually the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins, which translates to "Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Dollar Stablecoins."
The proposal is lengthy, with several key points summarized for everyone:
· Mandatory 1:1 Full Asset Backing: Assets include cash, demand deposits, and short-term US Treasuries. At the same time, misappropriation and rehypothecation are strictly prohibited.
· High-Frequency Disclosure: Reserve reports must be published at least monthly, introducing external audits.
· Licensing Requirement: Once the circulating market cap of the issuer's stablecoin exceeds $100 billion, it must transition into the federal regulatory system within a specified timeframe, adopting banking-grade regulation.
· Introduction of Custody: The custodian of the stablecoin and its reserve assets must be a regulated qualified financial institution.
· Clear Definition as a Payment Medium: The bill explicitly defines stablecoin as a new type of payment medium, primarily regulated by the banking regulatory system, rather than restricted by the securities or commodities regulatory system.
· Embracing Existing Stablecoins: A maximum 18-month grace period after the bill's enactment, aimed at encouraging existing stablecoin issuers (such as USDT, USDC, etc.) to promptly obtain licenses or become compliant.
After finishing the main content, let's talk about the significance of this matter with an excited heart.
Over the years, when others asked, "After working in the Crypto industry for 16 years, what application have you created?"
In the future, you can confidently tell others—Stablecoins.
Some people have held opposing views. In the past, people's impression of stablecoins was that they were an opaque black box. Every few months, there would be FUD — whether Tether's assets were frozen or Circle had a significant black hole deficit.
In fact, if you think about it, Tether easily rakes in billions of dollars a year just from the interest on those underlying government bonds. Circle, slightly less, also made a $1.7 billion profit last year.
They basically made money while standing there. From a motivational standpoint, they have no malicious intentions. In fact, they are the most eager for compliance.
Now, this opaque black box will become a transparent white box.
In the past, the only complaint was that Tether's funds might have been frozen by the United States. Now, they will be directly placed into U.S. compliant custodial institutions, with high-frequency disclosures, so you can rest assured.
【No need to worry about a rug pull】 is such a huge advantage—I think especially all Crypto people understand this.
Stablecoins were once almost on the verge of being overtaken by CBDCs. In any country, if a central bank digital currency really exists, it is highly likely not built on a blockchain, at most it is built on some internal central bank consortium chain, which to be honest, is meaningless.
When CBDCs were at their peak, that was the most dangerous time for stablecoins.
If CBDCs had become a reality back then, stablecoins today would have been relentlessly suppressed into a dark corner, and blockchain would only be able to play a minimal role.
The remaining half-dead stablecoins would even have to learn the standards of central bank digital currencies, completely relinquishing their standard-setting power.
And now, stablecoins have won (or are about to).
Instead, everyone should learn the 【Blockchain + Token】 standard.
Nowadays, many blockchains actually have no meaningful applications on top, only stablecoin transfers. For example, with Aptos, the only scenario I use Aptos for is transfers between Binance and OKX.
And now, stablecoins will be legislated, what does that mean?
That's right, blockchain will become the only standard.
In the future, every stablecoin user will be the first to learn how to use a wallet.
As an aside, I actually think Ethereum's concerted push for EIP-7702 is quite forward-thinking. While other chains are all about memes, thank you Ethereum for sticking to account abstraction.
EIP-7702 is about Account Abstraction, which can support, for example:
· Social Account Registration Wallet
· Paying GAS with Native Coin
· And more
This paves the way for future new users to heavily use stablecoins, solving the last-mile problem.
Furthermore, once stablecoins receive legislative support, deposits and withdrawals will become even easier.
Let's imagine a scenario: previously, hindered by the gray nature of stablecoins, but after the bill passes, many traditional brokerages can support stablecoins themselves. The money from a US stock investor can be converted into stablecoins in minutes and instantly deposited into Coinbase. Believe it or not.
Let's imagine another scenario: if the brilliant bill smoothly passes through the House of Representatives, next, you will see:
Due to the extremely lucrative nature of this trading, existing stablecoin leaders and newly entering traditional giants will crazily start promoting their stablecoin products.
And an outsider, due to these promotions, will start using stablecoins. And then one day, after finding out that the wallet account has been created, will explore Bitcoin inside. Is mining Bitcoin difficult?
Stablecoins are a huge Trojan horse. The moment you start using stablecoins, you unwittingly step half a foot into the Crypto world.
As a large reservoir for digesting US debt, although stablecoins cannot directly absorb debt, they at least provide ammunition for the US debt secondary market. These functions are quite important, and slowly, stablecoins are becoming a part of the US debt market's body. Therefore, once the US legislation is passed and experiences the benefits, there is no turning back.
And, we are also confident that stablecoins are indeed one of the great innovations in our industry. People who have used stablecoins will find it hard to return to the traditional cash-banking system.
Once the bill is passed, users can't go back. In the future, concerns are about to be resolved, standards will be mastered, and the era of large deposits seems to be on the horizon.
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HTX Research Latest Research Report丨Sonic: A Case Study of the New DeFi Paradigm
While the industry was still embroiled in the Layer 2 scaling debate, Sonic offered a new answer through a "foundational revolution." Recently, HTX Research released its latest research report "Sonic: A Blueprint for the DeFi New Paradigm," detailing the new public chain Sonic. While fully compatible with the EVM, Sonic has achieved a throughput of over 2000 TPS, 0.7-second transaction finality, and a transaction cost of 0.0001 USD, outperforming mainstream Layer 1 solutions and even surpassing most Layer 2 solutions. The performance-boosting Sonic is reshaping public chain infrastructure, officially ushering in the "sub-second era" of public chains.
As a high-performance public chain based on a Directed Acyclic Graph (aDAG), Fantom Opera initially stood out for its high throughput and fast confirmation capabilities. However, as the on-chain ecosystem expanded, the limitations of its traditional EVM architecture became increasingly apparent: state storage expansion, slow node synchronization, and constrained execution efficiency. To address this, Fantom introduced the new upgrade solution Sonic, aimed at achieving performance leaps through fundamental reconstruction without relying on sharding or Layer 2.
Led by the restructured Sonic Labs, Sonic's core development team brought together top industry talents, including CEO Michael Kong, CTO Andre Cronje (founder of Yearn Finance), and Chief Research Officer Bernhard Scholz. Over a period of two and a half years, the team comprehensively optimized from the virtual machine, storage engine to the consensus mechanism, ultimately creating the standalone new chain Sonic. While being EVM-compatible, Sonic has achieved over 2000 TPS, 0.7-second finality, $0.0001 transaction cost, a 90% improvement in storage efficiency, and reduced node synchronization time from weeks to within two days.
· SonicVM: The new virtual machine dynamically compiles EVM bytecode, caches high-frequency operations (such as SHA3 hashing), and pre-analyzes jump instructions, improving execution efficiency several times over to support high-throughput demands.
· SonicDB: Using a layered storage design, it separates real-time state (LiveDB) from historical data (ArchiveDB), compressing storage space by 90%, reducing node maintenance thresholds, and enhancing decentralization.
· Sonic Gateway: A Layer 2-like cross-chain bridge to Ethereum, balancing security and efficiency through a batch processing mechanism, supporting bi-directional asset migration, and seamless integration with the Ethereum ecosystem.
Sonic introduces its native token S, exchanged 1:1 with the old token FTM, undertaking functions such as gas payment and governance staking. Its innovative mechanisms include:
· Gas Fee Monetization (FeeM): Developers can receive up to 90% of transaction fee sharing, incentivizing ecosystem app innovation; non-FeeM apps have 50% of fees burned to deter inflation.
· Point Airdrop System: Users earn points (Passive/Activity Points and Gems) through holding tokens, participating in DeFi, or ecosystem interactions, redeemable for a total of 200 million S tokens, creating a "usage is mining" positive feedback loop.
During the market downturn in 2025, Sonic's on-chain TVL grew over 500% against the trend, with stablecoin volume surpassing $260 million, driven by high-leverage yield strategies:
· Silo v2 Recurring Borrowing: Pledge S tokens to borrow stablecoins, leverage up to 20x, capturing multiple points and spread yields.
· Euler+Rings Combination: Deposit USDC to mint overcollateralized stablecoin scUSD, leverage up to 10x, while receiving Sonic points and protocol airdrops.
· Shadow DEX Liquidity Mining: Provide liquidity for mainstream trading pairs, earning up to 169% APY and receiving a share of trading fees.
The ecosystem's future plans involve introducing Real World Asset (RWA) yields and off-chain payment scenarios, expanding through compliant asset backing and consumer app integration, establishing a sustainable stablecoin utility loop.
Sonic's core DEX, FlyingTulip, designed by Andre Cronje, integrates trading, lending, and leverage functions, with key technological breakthroughs including:
· Adaptive AMM Curve: Combining Curve V2's liquidity aggregation advantage, introducing external oracle monitoring of volatility, dynamically adjusting the curve shape—close to a constant-product curve during low volatility (low slippage), and approaching a constant-product curve during high volatility (preventing liquidity depletion), reducing impermanent loss by 42%, and improving capital efficiency by 85%.
· Dynamic LTV Lending Model: Drawing inspiration from Curve's LLAMA liquidation mechanism but dynamically adjusting the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio based on market volatility. For example, the ETH collateral loan-to-value ratio can plummet from 80% during calm periods to 50% during volatile periods, reducing systemic risk.
With its triple advantage of "high performance + nested yield + low threshold," Sonic is expected to exceed $2 billion in TVL within 12 months, and its token S may impact billions of dollars in market capitalization. Its model has established a new paradigm for the industry: replacing liquidity speculation with on-chain efficiency and real returns, potentially triggering a fundamental shift in the logic of public chain competition.
Potential risks are concentrated at the technical level, including the Adaptive AMM relying on an external oracle, which could result in liquidity pool anomalies if the price feed is attacked. High-leverage strategies face liquidation risks during extreme market conditions and require hedging tools (such as perpetual contract shorts) to manage volatility.
From a macro perspective, Sonic is poised to be the dark horse in the 2025 DeFi revival wave, with the success of its stablecoin ecosystem creating broad upside potential for the ecosystem token S and overall network value. Sonic's rise validates a key proposition: even in a bear market, through mechanism innovation and performance breakthroughs, DeFi can still build a "yield fortress" to attract rational capital for long-term retention. Its nested yield model, developer incentive system, and efficient infrastructure provide the industry with a reusable template. If successfully integrated with RWAs and payment scenarios, Sonic may become a bridge connecting on-chain yield with real economic demand, propelling DeFi into a new stage of mass adoption.
To read the full report, please visit: https://square.htx.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HTX-Research-Latest-Report.pdf
HTX Research is the dedicated research arm of HTX Group, responsible for in-depth analysis of a wide range of areas including cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and emerging market trends. HTX Research produces comprehensive reports, offers professional evaluations, and is committed to providing data-driven insights and strategic foresight. It plays a key role in shaping industry perspectives and supporting informed decision-making in the digital asset space. With rigorous research methods and cutting-edge data analysis, HTX Research always remains at the forefront of innovation, driving industry thought leadership and facilitating a deep understanding of the evolving market dynamics.
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Never Underestimate the Significance of the US Stablecoin 'Infrastructure Bill'
If the US stablecoin bill, the "GENIUS Act," passes smoothly this time, its significance will be tremendous. I even think it's significant enough to enter the top five in Crypto history.
Although abbreviated as the GENIUS Act, which translates directly to the Genius Act, it is actually the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins, which translates to "Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Dollar Stablecoins."
The proposal is lengthy, with several key points summarized for everyone:
· Mandatory 1:1 Full Asset Backing: Assets include cash, demand deposits, and short-term US Treasuries. At the same time, misappropriation and rehypothecation are strictly prohibited.
· High-Frequency Disclosure: Reserve reports must be published at least monthly, introducing external audits.
· Licensing Requirement: Once the circulating market cap of the issuer's stablecoin exceeds $100 billion, it must transition into the federal regulatory system within a specified timeframe, adopting banking-grade regulation.
· Introduction of Custody: The custodian of the stablecoin and its reserve assets must be a regulated qualified financial institution.
· Clear Definition as a Payment Medium: The bill explicitly defines stablecoin as a new type of payment medium, primarily regulated by the banking regulatory system, rather than restricted by the securities or commodities regulatory system.
· Embracing Existing Stablecoins: A maximum 18-month grace period after the bill's enactment, aimed at encouraging existing stablecoin issuers (such as USDT, USDC, etc.) to promptly obtain licenses or become compliant.
After finishing the main content, let's talk about the significance of this matter with an excited heart.
Over the years, when others asked, "After working in the Crypto industry for 16 years, what application have you created?"
In the future, you can confidently tell others—Stablecoins.
Some people have held opposing views. In the past, people's impression of stablecoins was that they were an opaque black box. Every few months, there would be FUD — whether Tether's assets were frozen or Circle had a significant black hole deficit.
In fact, if you think about it, Tether easily rakes in billions of dollars a year just from the interest on those underlying government bonds. Circle, slightly less, also made a $1.7 billion profit last year.
They basically made money while standing there. From a motivational standpoint, they have no malicious intentions. In fact, they are the most eager for compliance.
Now, this opaque black box will become a transparent white box.
In the past, the only complaint was that Tether's funds might have been frozen by the United States. Now, they will be directly placed into U.S. compliant custodial institutions, with high-frequency disclosures, so you can rest assured.
【No need to worry about a rug pull】 is such a huge advantage—I think especially all Crypto people understand this.
Stablecoins were once almost on the verge of being overtaken by CBDCs. In any country, if a central bank digital currency really exists, it is highly likely not built on a blockchain, at most it is built on some internal central bank consortium chain, which to be honest, is meaningless.
When CBDCs were at their peak, that was the most dangerous time for stablecoins.
If CBDCs had become a reality back then, stablecoins today would have been relentlessly suppressed into a dark corner, and blockchain would only be able to play a minimal role.
The remaining half-dead stablecoins would even have to learn the standards of central bank digital currencies, completely relinquishing their standard-setting power.
And now, stablecoins have won (or are about to).
Instead, everyone should learn the 【Blockchain + Token】 standard.
Nowadays, many blockchains actually have no meaningful applications on top, only stablecoin transfers. For example, with Aptos, the only scenario I use Aptos for is transfers between Binance and OKX.
And now, stablecoins will be legislated, what does that mean?
That's right, blockchain will become the only standard.
In the future, every stablecoin user will be the first to learn how to use a wallet.
As an aside, I actually think Ethereum's concerted push for EIP-7702 is quite forward-thinking. While other chains are all about memes, thank you Ethereum for sticking to account abstraction.
EIP-7702 is about Account Abstraction, which can support, for example:
· Social Account Registration Wallet
· Paying GAS with Native Coin
· And more
This paves the way for future new users to heavily use stablecoins, solving the last-mile problem.
Furthermore, once stablecoins receive legislative support, deposits and withdrawals will become even easier.
Let's imagine a scenario: previously, hindered by the gray nature of stablecoins, but after the bill passes, many traditional brokerages can support stablecoins themselves. The money from a US stock investor can be converted into stablecoins in minutes and instantly deposited into Coinbase. Believe it or not.
Let's imagine another scenario: if the brilliant bill smoothly passes through the House of Representatives, next, you will see:
Due to the extremely lucrative nature of this trading, existing stablecoin leaders and newly entering traditional giants will crazily start promoting their stablecoin products.
And an outsider, due to these promotions, will start using stablecoins. And then one day, after finding out that the wallet account has been created, will explore Bitcoin inside. Is mining Bitcoin difficult?
Stablecoins are a huge Trojan horse. The moment you start using stablecoins, you unwittingly step half a foot into the Crypto world.
As a large reservoir for digesting US debt, although stablecoins cannot directly absorb debt, they at least provide ammunition for the US debt secondary market. These functions are quite important, and slowly, stablecoins are becoming a part of the US debt market's body. Therefore, once the US legislation is passed and experiences the benefits, there is no turning back.
And, we are also confident that stablecoins are indeed one of the great innovations in our industry. People who have used stablecoins will find it hard to return to the traditional cash-banking system.
Once the bill is passed, users can't go back. In the future, concerns are about to be resolved, standards will be mastered, and the era of large deposits seems to be on the horizon.
Original Article Link
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