Toncoin surged sharply after Pavel Durov said Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main driving force behind The Open Network and become its largest validator, marking the messaging platform’s most explicit operational step back into the blockchain it originally launched. TON climbed from roughly $1.35 to about $1.80 in the move, an increase of around 30%, with CoinMarketCap ranking it among the top 20 crypto assets by market capitalization during the rally. Durov Puts Telegram Back At The Center Of TON The immediate trigger was a post from Durov on May 4, who framed the move as the next phase of TON’s technical roadmap after a major reduction in network fees. “Fees in TON have dropped 6× — to nearly zero. Next step — Telegram replaces the TON Foundation as the driving force behind TON and becomes its largest validator. The focus shifts to tech superiority,” Durov wrote. He added that the network is expected to receive a “new ton.org, new dev tools, new performance upgrades,” with a stated timeline of “2-3 weeks.” That combination of lower fees, validator participation and developer-facing upgrades gave traders a clear catalyst after TON had spent much of late April trading close to the $1.30 range. The statement also narrows the distinction between Telegram as a distribution platform and TON as a blockchain ecosystem. TON’s strongest strategic asset has long been proximity to Telegram’s user base, but Durov’s language suggests a more direct role for the company in execution, infrastructure and ecosystem signaling. The fee cut had already been telegraphed in late April. On April 23, Durov said TON fees would fall sixfold within a week, to “just 0.00039 TON” per transaction, fixed regardless of network load. He also said most transactions would “soon after” become fully feeless. That fee structure matters because TON’s core commercial pitch is not only speculative settlement, but high-frequency consumer activity inside Telegram. In January 2025, the TON Foundation said TON would become the exclusive blockchain infrastructure for Telegram’s Mini App ecosystem, supporting a platform it described as reaching more than 950 million monthly active users. The same announcement said Telegram would continue accepting Toncoin as the only cryptocurrency for non-fiat payments across platform services such as Telegram Stars, Premium, Ads and Gateway, while also using Toncoin to pay Mini App developers and channel owners for earned Stars and ad revenue. TON’s history gives the announcement additional weight. Telegram originally developed the Telegram Open Network under Pavel and Nikolai Durov, before the project was halted after US Securities and Exchange Commission action over the sale of Gram tokens. In June 2020, the SEC said Telegram and TON Issuer agreed to return more than $1.2 billion to investors and pay an $18.5 million civil penalty to settle charges tied to an unregistered digital token offering. After Telegram stepped away, the network continued through community-led development under The Open Network brand. Telegram later rebuilt links to TON through product integrations, payments and Mini Apps. Durov’s latest statement is significant because it presents the next phase not as a partnership expansion, but as a leadership shift. At press time, TON traded at $1.806.

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