What is Telegram?

In recent years, Telegram has evolved from a simple messenger app into a multifunctional platform that offers much more than simple chats. Telegram is not only one of the most popular messenger apps but has also grown into an attractive ecosystem for communities, companies and programmers.

Telegram was founded in 2013 by Nikolai and Pavel Durov and offers group chat functions, video and voice functions, games, and public channels with several million members, as well as private chats with extensive privacy settings.

Numerous online communities have been using Telegram for over ten years and have grown into huge communities – far beyond Telegram. The Bitcoin and crypto communities are no exception. Even today, there are countless groups and channels in which hundreds of thousands of people exchange information about Bitcoin and crypto.

The Open Network – TON

In November 2019, the Telegram Open Network (TON) Testnet2 was launched, marking an important milestone in the project's development. However, in the month before that launch, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed charges against Telegram for conducting an unregistered token sale, which led to significant legal challenges. In May 2020, as part of the ongoing court case, Telegram decided to officially step away from the development of TON. Following this, the independent team behind TON and Toncoin continued to evolve and grow the network, developing its native cryptocurrency, Toncoin, independently from Telegram. Today, The Open Network has emerged as one of the largest and most influential blockchain ecosystems worldwide.

In the last year and a half, however, the relationship between TON and Telegram has become increasingly closer again – partly because various products have been launched based on the work of both teams.

The Open Network (TON) is a global, decentralized blockchain community focused on putting crypto in every pocket. At its core is the TON Blockchain, which is the foundational protocol, connecting various decentralized projects, applications and services. Other parts of the ecosystem include TON DNS, which enables decentralized domain management, TON Storage for secure and scalable data storage, and TON Sites, a platform for creating decentralized websites. Together, these elements form a cohesive and robust infrastructure that fosters innovation and collaboration within the TON community, driving a more open and interconnected digital future.

TON is designed to process millions of transactions per second (TPS) — with the goal of reaching hundreds of millions of users.

Toncoin x Telegram

The Open Network and its cryptocurrency Toncoin are directly integrated into the messenger app Telegram. This provides users with a user-friendly wallet and numerous innovative functions such as dApps, games and a variety of bots integrated directly into the app.

Thanks to this integration, Telegram users worldwide can make peer-to-peer payments free of charge – provided that the transaction is addressed to a Telegram contact and settled in TON, USDT or TON-based tokens. However, normal transaction fees apply for transactions to external wallets outside of Telegram. The Telegram-integrated wallet does not only support TON, TON-based tokens and USDT but also Bitcoin.

Toncoin can be used within Telegram not only for free transactions but also to pay for the Telegram premium subscription, to use mini-apps and other applications and games developed specifically for Telegram. In addition, Toncoin can be used to purchase TON collectibles and to pay for other features.

Sending assets worldwide - free of charge

The Open Network (TON) and its integration with Telegram enable the free transfer of assets between Telegram users worldwide. This means that a user in Ecuador can send assets to Switzerland free of charge – and vice versa.

This free, international transfer of assets is particularly interesting for people with limited financial means, and the integration can be compared to providers such as Twint or CashApp – except that it is built on a globally accessible blockchain.

Developers, entrepreneurs and content creators

Developers and entrepreneurs can offer digital goods and services through Telegram's integrated payment function, bot and mini-app platform. Telegram channel operators benefit from 50 percent of the advertising revenue generated by ads displayed in their channels. This means that Telegram provides developers and entrepreneurs with opportunities to integrate Toncoin into their day-to-day work.

A Look Ahead

In January 2025, Telegram and The Open Network Foundation announced that they have signed an exclusivity agreement. From now on, Telegram mini-apps with crypto integrations, including games, may only use the TON blockchain.

Considering the latest developments and the renewed partnership between Telegram and The Open Network, the TON blockchain, together with Toncoin (TON), presents itself as a decentralized protocol that has been successfully integrated into an application with an existing user base of several hundred million people.

It remains to be seen whether messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage will integrate decentralized protocols to give their users access to the benefits of blockchain technology. With Telegram and The Open Network, this is already a reality: a blockchain that is available to around 950 million users on a daily basis.