Thomas Daniels
Telegram’s endorsement of blockchain initiatives has spurred significant migration to The Open Network (TON), substantially increasing user engagement and nearly doubling the on-chain Total Value Locked (TVL) in just two months.
According to DefiLlama, users have deposited over $319 million into the Telegram-backed decentralized network, The Open Network (TON). Activity surged in late February, and TVL has almost doubled since early April.
TON’s ecosystem has seen rapid expansion recently, with Telegram introducing more crypto-related features. Various on-chain protocols are now building on the Telegram-affiliated blockchain, including derivatives projects, exchanges, lending platforms, liquid staking providers, gaming initiatives, and privacy solutions.
Telegram Fuels TON’s Rapid Growth
A significant driver behind TON’s growth is the rise of “mini-apps,” which are web3 games developed directly on the messenger platform. These mini-apps leverage TON’s open-source software development kit and access Telegram’s 900 million users, benefiting from minimal monetized advertising corridors.
Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, has publicly supported TON’s integration, encouraging more developers to leverage this offering and engage with the crypto community. Projects like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin (NOT) have launched their blockchain games on TON, with notable success. Notcoin distributed millions to users via airdrop, and Hamster Kombat onboarded over 19 million daily active users within three months.
Telegram’s support for Tether (USDT) and its built-in Wallet app has further incentivized developers and users to participate in TON. By simplifying crypto transactions to just a few clicks, Telegram has positioned itself as a leading platform for blockchain activities.
