Telegram Set to Launch a Native Crypto Wallet for Over One Billion Users

Telegram continues to develop its digital ecosystem with a new milestone focused on crypto. Its founder, Pavel Durov, announced the deployment this summer of a native non-custodial wallet directly integrated into the messaging app. This initiative could enable over one billion monthly active users to send digital assets autonomously. The project is part of a broader strategy aimed at enhancing peer-to-peer payment uses and Web3 technologies within the platform.

In brief

• Telegram plans to launch this summer a native non-custodial crypto wallet directly integrated into its app.
• The service will allow more than one billion users to send cryptocurrencies instantly and fee-free, according to Pavel Durov.
• The wallet will accompany the renaming of Toncoin to Gram, referring to the project presented by Telegram in 2018.
• This initiative is part of Telegram’s strategy to develop Web3 services and crypto payments within its ecosystem.

Telegram Wants to Integrate Crypto Directly Into Its App

Telegram’s future wallet will operate as a non-custodial solution. Users will thus keep control of their funds and can carry out crypto transactions without intermediaries. In his message posted on his Telegram channel on Tuesday, Pavel Durov stated that transfers will be instantaneous and fee-free, directly from the messaging app.

This summer will mark the largest deployment of a non-custodial crypto wallet in history. Thanks to the integration of a native Gram wallet in every Telegram app, over one billion users will soon be able to make instant, fee-free crypto transactions.

Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram. Source: Telegram

The executive described this initiative as the most significant deployment of a non-custodial crypto wallet ever undertaken. However, Telegram has not yet revealed a precise timeline nor the technical features of the service. The announcement thus mainly rests on the company’s stated objectives.

The platform claims to have surpassed one billion monthly active users by 2025. This user base gives Telegram a potential reach far above many specialized apps. Even partial adoption could broaden access to peer-to-peer payments and self-custody solutions for digital assets.

Gram Reignites Telegram’s Ambitions

This announcement comes shortly after a major development around The Open Network. The network indicated its intention to rename its token Toncoin to Gram, a choice marking a return to the name presented in the whitepaper published by Telegram in 2018. Pavel Durov describes this change as a return to the project’s origins.

The renaming comes several years after the abandonment of the initial blockchain project, following a 2020 agreement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Since then, Telegram has focused its efforts on developing the TON ecosystem and its crypto services. This new direction also accompanies the gradual integration of Web3 features within the app.

The Gram wallet fits within this development strategy. By combining messaging and crypto payments in a single interface, Telegram aims to expand the use cases of its digital infrastructure. The expected summer launch will allow measuring the actual adoption of this new feature and its impact on the evolution of the TON ecosystem among platform users.