Telegram has formally replaced the TON Foundation as the main force behind The Open Network (TON), with founder Pavel Durov confirming the messenger will become the chain’s largest validator. Toncoin (TON) responded by rallying more than 100%.
The takeover, the third stage of Durov’s “Make TON Great Again” program, places Telegram at the center of TON’s infrastructure. Investors read it as the strongest signal that the messenger plans to anchor a billion-user crypto economy on the chain.
Why TON Is Rising
TON’s gains track Telegram’s renewed control over the network’s roadmap and validation. Alexander Tobol, chief technology officer at Wallet in Telegram, spoke with BeInCrypto. He said the chain was originally built by Telegram’s team before spinning out as an open-source project.
Tobol said the validator move signals deeper commitment from Telegram. It lifts interest in TON as a core part of the messenger’s stack.
The messenger’s reach makes any default crypto layer immediately consequential. Telegram counts more than one billion users, giving the chain a distribution edge few rivals can match.
Beyond architecture, Durov’s team staked about 2.2 million TON to claim the largest validator slot. The move deepens Telegram’s stake in network security.
Transfers, payments and mini-app services could all settle on TON. In that scenario, Tobol expects the network to lead all chains by active retail wallets.
“In such a scenario, TON could potentially become the leading blockchain by number of active wallets thanks to retail usage inside Telegram,” Tobol told BeInCrypto.
Network Speed and Cost Reset
Meanwhile, recent infrastructure work strengthens the case. Storm Trade founder Denis Vasin pointed to the Catchain 2.0 upgrade.
It cut block times from about 2.5 seconds to 400 milliseconds. Finality fell from roughly ten seconds to one.
The same upgrade lowered fees about sixfold, to around $0.0005. The network can also process more than 100,000 transactions per second.
Vasin said the exclusivity of the Telegram-TON pairing now matches the architecture investors expected in 2018.
He described TON as one of the highest-throughput Layer-1 chains. Fast finality and low cost position it for frequent small-value transactions.
If this integration is implemented consistently, TON gains what most Layer-1 blockchains lack — native distribution and real user use cases,” Vasin said in remarks shared with BeInCrypto.
Pricing the Telegram TON Takeover
Tobol expects the next leg of growth to depend on bots and mini-apps. Users would transact directly inside Telegram. Staking yields, currently around 15% annually, support liquidity retention.
However, Vasin urged caution. Markets have already repriced TON sharply. Any pullback would test whether Telegram can convert distribution into recurring on-chain revenue. The rally leaves limited margin for execution missteps.
Last year’s large Telegram-led sales of Toncoin reminded holders the messenger has acted as both buyer and seller.
Investors will watch for evidence the validator role binds Telegram more tightly to TON’s long-term value.
Whether TON returns to the top 10 of CoinMarketCap depends on transaction activity rather than announcements.
The next several weeks should reveal if the chain is gaining real economic gravity.
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