Messaging platform Telegram is making things official with TON—again.
On Tuesday, Telegram and The Open Network Foundation announced an exclusivity deal that will require Telegram mini apps (including games) with crypto integrations to use TON, with Telegram also providing various benefits to projects that utilize the network.
“The integration of TON as the exclusive blockchain for Telegram mini apps is a strategic step forward, strengthening TON's status as one of the world's leading blockchains,” TON Foundation President Manual Stotz told Decrypt.
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“Telegram is one of the biggest messaging apps in the world, with a global network of over 950 million active users,” he continued, “which means that this agreement represents an unparalleled opportunity for TON to be at the heart of blockchain innovation on a truly global scale.”
Telegram is the original creator of TON, which was originally known as the Telegram Open Network, but dumped the project in 2020 due to regulatory scrutiny. Development continued externally via a community of builders, who eventually launched TON as The Open Network.
Over the last year and a half, Telegram and TON have increasingly become intertwined again. A TON Wallet app launched on Telegram, helping to fuel a wave of tap-to-earn crypto games that collectively attracted hundreds of millions of players, led by Hamster Kombat and Notcoin.
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Furthermore, Telegram began paying channel operators a cut of ad revenue via Toncoin (TON), and launched an in-app Telegram Stars currency that can be redeemed for TON. Earlier this month, Telegram revealed plans to let users mint in-app stickers as tradable NFTs on TON.
With this agreement, however, Telegram and TON are no longer just aligned but now joined at the hip. Telegram mini apps and games that have utilized other networks, such as Sui or Aptos, will be required to migrate over to TON and the TON Connect protocol to retain crypto functionality.
“Existing wallet protocols to non-TON chains will be prohibited except for the specific purpose of allowing users to bridge assets from other blockchains,” Stotz clarified to Decrypt, adding that “to maintain a scalable and secure user experience that meets Telegram’s standards, all mini apps with cryptocurrency functionality must be based exclusively on TON blockchain.”
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The TON Foundation will offer grants for projects that migrate within a 30-day window, with grants ranging up to $50,000 depending on audience size. Projects that previously received support from the Foundation will be ineligible.
The announcement comes one day after President Donald Trump returned to the White House following a pro-crypto campaign, with a regulatory shakeup in the works as SEC Chair Gary Gensler and other crypto industry antagonists depart. Asked about the timing of the news, Stotz did not allude to the U.S. political shifts, but pointed to the long alignment between the parties.
“It’s a natural and strategic alignment,” he told Decrypt. “Telegram has long advocated for open-source technology and championed the global Web3 community, and TON shares and is well-positioned to support that vision. By choosing TON as the exclusive blockchain for Telegram mini apps, Telegram can now provide a robust, reliable, and scalable solution for users and developers that can support the growth of its global network.”
