Points farming has become one of the most reliable ways to earn extra yield on Solana. Nearly every major DeFi protocol runs a points program that tracks your activity and rewards you — usually with token airdrops, fee shares, or governance rights. The difference between a casual user and an optimized farmer can be 5-10x in rewards for the same capital deployed.
This guide breaks down the active points programs on Solana, shows you how to stack them for maximum efficiency, and explains the strategies that experienced farmers use.
How Points Programs Work
Most Solana DeFi protocols award points based on your protocol usage. The general formula:
Points = Capital Deployed × Time × Activity Multiplier
Points accumulate over time and are converted to rewards during "seasons" or at token generation events. The reward is typically proportional to your share of total points earned by all users.
Key variables that affect your points:
- TVL contribution: How much capital you have deposited
- Duration: How long you've been active (early participants often get multipliers)
- Activity type: Some actions earn more points than others (borrowing usually earns more than lending)
- Referrals: Many programs offer bonus points for referring new users
- Loyalty: Sustained participation often earns multiplier boosts
Active Points Programs on Solana
Kamino Finance runs one of the most established points programs on Solana.
How to earn:
- Supply liquidity to Kamino vaults (automated concentrated liquidity management)
- Lend assets on Kamino Lend
- Borrow assets (borrowing earns more points than lending)
- Use Kamino Multiply for leveraged yield strategies
Point multipliers:
- Borrowing earns approximately 3-4x the points of lending
- Multiply positions (leveraged loops) earn accelerated points because you're simultaneously lending and borrowing
- Certain vaults have seasonal boost multipliers
Strategy: The highest points-per-dollar approach is using Kamino Multiply to create a leveraged lending position. For example, depositing SOL, borrowing USDC against it, and looping. This earns lending points + borrowing points simultaneously. However, this introduces liquidation risk if SOL price drops, so manage your health factor carefully — our Solana DeFi liquidation risk management guide covers exactly how to keep these leveraged loops out of the danger zone.
Drift Protocol awards points across multiple products.
How to earn:
- Trade perpetuals (points per dollar of trading volume)
- Provide liquidity to Drift's vAMM
- Deposit into insurance fund staking
- Use Drift's spot trading and lending features
- Participate in Drift BET prediction markets
Point multipliers:
- Perp trading volume is the primary driver
- Market making (providing liquidity) earns bonus points
- Insurance fund staking earns steady points with lower effort
Strategy: If you're already trading perps, Drift's points program rewards you for activity you'd do anyway. For passive farmers, insurance fund staking is the lowest-effort option — deposit USDC and earn points plus the fund's yield. For active farmers, consistently trading even small volumes adds up significantly over time. If you're weighing Solana perp venues against off-chain alternatives, see how they stack up in our Solana vs Hyperliquid trading comparison.
Marginfi has run multiple points seasons for its lending protocol.
How to earn:
- Lend assets on Marginfi
- Borrow assets (higher points rate)
- Maintain positions over time (duration matters)
Point multipliers:
- Borrowing earns roughly 4x the points of lending
- Certain assets have boosted point rates that change seasonally
- Early-season participation sometimes comes with multiplier bonuses
Strategy: The classic Marginfi farming loop: deposit SOL → borrow USDC → deposit USDC on another protocol → use the other protocol's yield to cover borrow interest. This lets you earn Marginfi points on both the lend and borrow side. Watch your health factor and don't over-leverage — liquidation erases all your farming gains.
Jupiter rewards users through its JUP staking and governance system.
How to earn:
- Stake JUP tokens to participate in governance votes
- Use Jupiter for swaps (active swap users receive periodic allocations)
- Provide liquidity on Jupiter-connected pools
- Use Jupiter DCA and limit order features
Point multipliers:
- Governance voting participation is tracked and rewarded
- Consistent usage over time is weighted more than sporadic large trades
- JUP stakers earn a share of protocol revenue
Strategy: Jupiter's approach rewards loyal users rather than mercenary capital. Stake JUP, vote in every governance round, and use Jupiter as your primary swap aggregator. The cumulative effect of consistent participation typically outperforms one-time large swaps.
Tensor
Tensor runs points for its NFT marketplace and recently expanded into token trading.
How to earn:
- Trade NFTs on Tensor
- Provide NFT collection bids (offers across entire collections)
- Use Tensor's trading features actively
- Hold and trade specific partner collections
Point multipliers:
- Collection bids earn significantly more points than simple buy/sells
- Active trading (higher number of transactions) earns more than holding
- Specific partner collections have seasonal boosts
Strategy: If you trade NFTs on Solana, route all activity through Tensor to capture points. Collection bids are the most capital-efficient way to earn points — you're essentially providing liquidity to the NFT market and getting compensated for it.
