Telegram to launch native Gram wallet for 1 billion users

Telegram, the global messaging platform, will integrate a native, noncustodial cryptocurrency wallet into its application for all users this summer, founder Pavel Durov announced. The rollout, which Durov described as the largest deployment of a noncustodial crypto wallet in history, aims to bring instant, fee-free digital asset transactions to the platform's more than 1 billion monthly active users.

The wallet will be embedded directly into the Telegram app, allowing users to send and receive cryptocurrency within chats without leaving the interface. As a noncustodial service, users will retain control of their private keys, meaning Telegram will not hold or custody the funds. The wallet will support transactions in Gram, the native token of The Open Network (TON), the blockchain closely integrated with Telegram.

This announcement follows a series of strategic moves by Telegram to deepen its involvement with the TON ecosystem. Several weeks ago, Durov announced the rebranding of the network's token from Toncoin to Gram, reviving the name from Telegram's original 2018 cryptocurrency project. The company has also taken a more direct role in the network's development, becoming its...