Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced on May 4, 2026, that Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main force behind The Open Network. According to reports from 99Bitcoin, this represents a fundamental shift in the blockchain's governance structure, with Telegram formally fusing its 950 million monthly active users to a single blockchain. The announcement triggered an immediate market response, with TON climbing from about $1.35 to nearly $1.80, representing a 28.10% gain over 24 hours and placing it among the top 25 crypto assets. As per Crypto.news, the token was trading near $1.82 with $632.75 million in daily trading volume and a market cap near $4.8 billion at press time.
The governance change has delivered immediate network improvements, with Durov reporting that fees in TON have dropped 6× — to nearly zero following the announcement. According to Crypto.news, Telegram plans to shift TON's focus to "tech superiority" and has committed to delivering new website, new developer tools and performance upgrades within 2-3 weeks. This places the expected changes in late May 2026, with the details remaining limited as Telegram has not yet explained how its validator role will work or disclosed its planned validator stake. The TON network processed 1.5 billion transactions in Q1 2026 alone, with the network's total value locked reaching $1.2 billion by April 2026.
The governance change creates structural demand for TON that didn't exist under a community-run foundation. As reported by 99Bitcoin, Telegram's business model now runs on the blockchain, with the Telegram Ad Platform allowing advertisers to buy ad placements using Toncoin, and channel owners receiving a 50% crypto revenue share paid out in TON. This model is planned for expansion via Telegram Stars by Q3 2026, creating a circular economy where every ad purchase generates buying pressure on TON and every payout circulates the token back through the ecosystem. The TON wallet user base exceeds 10 million users, providing a substantial user base for the integrated blockchain economy.
Telegram's control extends beyond governance to technical infrastructure, with Durov personally investing $5 million in TON liquidity pools in late 2024 as reported by 99Bitcoin. The TON v4 upgrade in March 2026 introduced sharding capable of 100,000+ transactions per second, ensuring the infrastructure can handle Telegram-scale demand. As the largest validator, Telegram will directly participate in confirming transactions, earning staking rewards, and holding significant influence over protocol decisions. This validator legitimacy represents a materially different level of commitment compared to traditional messaging platform crypto integration strategies.
The announcement positions TON in direct competition with other messaging platforms integrating crypto payments. According to 99Bitcoin, TON's transaction volumes briefly surpassed Solana's daily average during peak periods, demonstrating the scale potential. The TON wallet user base exceeds 10 million users, providing a substantial user base for the integrated blockchain economy. However, the integration raises governance concerns, as DeFi purists note that a blockchain where one company controls majority validators is, by definition, not decentralized. The latest move follows Telegram's wider push into TON-based products, including Wallet in Telegram adding perpetual contract trading across metals, stocks, oil and crypto using Lighter's infrastructure and offering more than 50 markets inside Telegram.
