Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has revealed plans to enhance the messaging app’s blockchain initiatives. Durov announced on his Telegram channel that “2024 will go down in history as the year when hundreds of millions of people became familiar with blockchain. We’re proud that Telegram is at the epicenter of this societal transformation.”
In recent months, Telegram and its blockchain platform, The Open Network (TON), have significantly expanded their presence in the crypto world. Tens of millions of gamers are using Telegram to play tap-to-earn games like Hamster Kombat, Notcoin, and Yescoin, all utilizing the TON blockchain. The Notcoin game alone facilitated the creation of over 1 million wallets on the TON network during its token generation event.
Durov mentioned that to maintain this momentum, Telegram will introduce a mini-app store and an in-app browser with support for web3 pages this month.
The TON blockchain’s total value locked (TVL) has seen substantial growth, crossing $300 million in May and now exceeding $760 million, according to DeFiLlama data. Concurrently, the network’s native Toncoin has surged from a little over $2.30 at the start of the year to more than $7.00, as per The Block Price Page.
Durov’s announcement highlights Telegram’s commitment to being at the forefront of the blockchain revolution, leveraging its platform to increase crypto adoption and usage globally.