PUMP Token Price Climbs 30% as Pre-Market Volume Rockets Ahead of ICO

Pump.fun’s native token, PUMP, has recorded $346 million in pre-market trading volume, with prices 30% above its presale level.  Solana-based memecoin launchpad Pump.fun is generating massive buzz ahead of its Initial Coin Offering (ICO). Specifically, pre-market perpetual trading of its PUMP token is seeing explosive growth across major crypto exchanges.

According to the latest data from Coinglass, the PUMP token has racked up over $346 million in volume. It also has $115 million in open interest. This signals intense investor anticipation ahead of its official launch on Saturday, July 12.

Even before a single token is publicly sold, the token is already trading at a 30% premium. The ICO price is set at $0.004. However, the current pre-market rate has risen to $0.0052, and long sentiment dominates the order books. This dramatic surge suggests widespread confidence in the token’s short-term momentum and long-term potential. What Are Pre-Market Perpetual Contracts?

Pre-market perpetual contracts are derivative instruments. They enable traders to predict and bet on a token’s price ahead of its official launch. These contracts mirror the anticipated spot price, allowing early market sentiment to be expressed in real time. 

Unlike spot trading, perpetuals are not about owning tokens. Instead, they focus on speculating on price movements, with settlement handled through margin and funding rates.

In the case of the PUMP token, its popularity indicates solid demand and early enthusiasm. These contracts also serve as a price discovery tool, helping set expectations ahead of the token’s listing. ICO Structure and Token Sale Details

Pump.fun will make 150 billion PUMP tokens available to the public at a set price of $0.004 each. The public sale will follow a first-come, first-served model. It will run until Tuesday, July 15, at 14:00 UTC, or until all tokens are sold.

The ICO is structured in two tiers: Private Sale (18%) – 180 billion tokens already allocated to institutional investors. Public Sale (15%) – 150 billion tokens now being offered to eligible retail participants.

Combined, these make up 33% of the total supply. The ICO is targeting over $1 billion in total, including a $600 million raise from the public sale alone.

The remaining 67% of supply is distributed among the team (20%), community and ecosystem (24%), and existing investors (13%). Tokenomics and Valuation The PUMP token has a total supply of 1 trillion tokens, giving it a fully diluted valuation of $4 billion at the ICO price. Only 49 tokens currently hold such a valuation, according to CoinGecko, placing Pump.fun among the most valuable projects even before its token launch. All tokens sold during the ICO will be fully unlocked at the end of the sale, with a brief 48–72 hour non-transferable period to ensure orderly market rollout. Participation and Restrictions To join the ICO, participants must complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification either via the pump.fun platform or through partner exchanges such as Bybit, Kraken, Bitget, MEXC, KuCoin, and Gate. Investors need to preload funds onto their chosen platforms to participate, as token allocation is based on the order of purchase. However, U.S. and UK residents are ineligible to participate. The UK Financial Conduct Authority banned Pump.fun in December 2024. In the United States, the company is facing legal action, including a lawsuit filed in January 2025 in the Southern District of New York. Beyond Meme Coins: Future Expansion Plans Since its launch in January 2024, Pump.fun has facilitated the creation of over 6 million meme tokens, generating $250 million in revenue by November 2024. Its low-cost model, under $2 per token launch and a 1% fee, contributed to rapid adoption. The company has stated that funds raised from the ICO will be allocated to building a decentralized social media platform to challenge major players like Facebook, TikTok, and Twitch. This marks a significant shift from its current focus on memecoin infrastructure toward broader ambitions. The envisioned platform would allow users to earn cryptocurrency rewards for their activity, offering an alternative to ad-driven, centralized social networks.