Telegram’s TON Could Become the World’s Biggest Retail Blockchain After Explosive 100% Surge

Telegram has formally replaced the TON Foundation as the main force behind The Open Network (TON), with founder Pavel Durov confirming the messenger will become the chain’s largest validator. Toncoin (TON) responded by rallying more than 100%. The takeover, the third stage of Durov’s “Make TON Great Again” program, places Telegram at the center of TON’s infrastructure. Investors read it as the strongest signal that the messenger plans to anchor a billion-user crypto economy on the chain. Why TON Is Rising TON’s gains track Telegram’s renewed control over the network’s roadmap and validation. Alexander Tobol, chief technology officer at Wallet in Telegram, spoke with BeInCrypto. He said the chain was originally built by Telegram’s team before spinning out as an open-source project. Tobol said the validator move signals deeper commitment from Telegram. It lifts interest in TON as a core part of the messenger’s stack. Toncoin (TON) Price Performance. Source: TradingView The messenger’s reach makes any default crypto layer immediately consequential. Telegram counts more than one billion users, giving the chain a distribution edge few rivals can match. $TON will surpass $BTC.– 1 Billion Telegram UsersDirect access for nearly 1B people inside the app. No other chain has this distribution.– Lightning Tech0.6s finality + near-zero fees vs Bitcoin’s slow & expensive blocks. Built for real daily use.– Explosive Ecosystem… https://t.co/hGsvabGb7N— bolivian (@_bolivian) May 8, 2026 Beyond architecture, Durov’s team staked about 2.2 million TON to claim the largest validator slot. The move deepens Telegram’s stake in network security. Transfers, payments and mini-app services could all settle on TON. In that scenario, Tobol expects the network to lead all chains by active retail wallets. “In such a scenario, TON could potentially become the leading blockchain by number of active wallets thanks to retail usage inside Telegram,” Tobol told BeInCrypto. Network Speed and Cost Res...