In addition to its sizable TON token treasury, AlphaTON is also focused on supporting Telegram's native decentralized AI platform, Cocoon.
TON, the Telegram-focused blockchain, said the network upgrade will deliver sub-second finality on mainnet starting April 10.
Recent market dynamics, most especially the launch of Spot Dogecoin ETFs, have seen Dogecoin slowly transitioning out of its meme coin status. Notably, a crypto pundit on X is of the notion that the transition is now at a tipping point. According to the pundit, there are three major reasons as to how Dogecoin could transition from a speculative asset into something far more functional as real money. If this plays out, the analyst believes Dogecoin’s price could rise from around $0.30 to $1.20 in a short time. Network Activation Through X Dogecoin has always been linked as a possible payment method on the social media platform X, and this is mostly due to Elon Musk’s public support for the cryptocurrency and his ambition to turn X into a combined financial and social platform. Related Reading: Dogecoin Vs. Shiba Inu: What Meme Coin Should You Buy For Most Returns In 2026? According to crypto pundit Sean Park on X, the scale of a potential integration as a payment method on X is the first way in which Dogecoin transitions into real money. This outlook is based on the upcoming X payments beta and the ambitions of Elon Musk’s ecosystem, including X, xAI, and SpaceX. If Dogecoin is introduced as a native or primary payment option, then it could become the beginning of what would become the greatest bullish phase for the meme coin. This means that deeper payment integration could strengthen user engagement, transaction data, and AI model training. Integrating DOGE as X’s native payment coin would activate the meme coin community, creating a cascade of “pay with DOGE” activity across the platform. Interestingly, Dogecoin’s fees are about one-tenth of competing networks like Solana or Ethereum, meaning users who try it once tend to keep using it. That surge in activity will ultimately generate a mountain of real-world transaction data. The result creates an effect where xAI grows smarter and more valuable at the same time X becomes stickier, locking out rivals like Google from the space. Two wins from one move, and without it, the analyst contends, an IPO at the $1.75 trillion target for X will be impossible. Infrastructure, Stablecoin Integration, And Competitive Timing The second reason is based on recent regulatory clarity from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically an FAQ issued by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, regarding the way for easy swaps between US dollars and cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin. Stablecoins are expected to be fully integrated across major platforms by May or June 2026, and this is projected to create a system where USD-DOGE swaps become instant. Related Reading: This Analyst Predicted The Dogecoin Price Crash, But There’s More To The Forecast The third reason, which is perhaps the most urgent, has more to do with which social media platform becomes the go-to money app. The most pressure is coming from Telegram, which is building out its TON blockchain-based payment ecosystem. Without a native payment coin, X will remain, as the pundit puts it bluntly, “just a tweet place.” Adding Dogecoin changes the platform’s fundamental identity from a social network to a financial hub. The Dogecoin fanbase, which is already one of the most vocal and engaged communities in crypto, would become X’s de facto marketing army, spreading the social media platform’s adoption organically. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com
TON Wallet is shifting from simple self-custody into a gateway for third-party DeFi yield strategies.
AlphaTON is growing into a large early infrastructure contributor to Cocoon AI as it deploys GPUs under a $46M compute investment.
The Telegram CEO may stand as the most pivotal figure in the bona fide mass adoption of cryptocurrency.
A Solidus Labs investigation details how an invite-only Telegram group used bots, fake narratives and rapid token deployments across Solana and BNB Chain to manipulate markets.
Telegram is taking another step toward bridging traditional finance with crypto. Through a new partnership among Wallet in Telegram, xStocks operator Backed, and US-based crypto exchange Kraken, tokenized equities will soon be available directly within the messaging platform. The announcement, made on Wednesday, confirms that users will gain access to tokenized versions of US equities. Related Reading: Metaplanet Expands Bitcoin Holdings To Over 30K BTC – Details Wallet in Telegram, a third-party crypto wallet app integrated into the Telegram ecosystem, will serve as the gateway for this new offering. By leveraging xStocks, which specializes in tokenized assets, and Kraken’s infrastructure, the platform aims to deliver seamless trading of tokenized stocks and ETFs. Users will be able to purchase fractions of these equities in digital form, opening access to markets that are typically less inclusive. This move represents a significant evolution in Telegram’s crypto ecosystem, expanding beyond digital assets into the tokenization of traditional securities. It also underscores the growing role of tokenized finance in making equities more accessible, liquid, and tradable across global markets. With the launch planned for late October, investors are watching closely to see how Telegram’s massive user base responds to this new frontier. Wallet In Telegram Unlocks Tokenized Equities The news was shared by Wallet in Telegram’s chief strategy officer, Halil Mirakhmed, during Token2024 Singapore, highlighting the project’s mission to merge traditional financial markets with Web3 accessibility. At the same event, Max Crown, President & CEO of the TON Foundation, outlined the significance of the move in his keynote at Token2049. He emphasized that the partnership with xStocks, in collaboration with Kraken and Backed, will allow over 100 million Telegram users to access more than 60 tokenized US assets at launch. These will include major names such as Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), and MicroStrategy (MSTR), all backed by a 1:1 collateralization framework to ensure trust and transparency. One of the most notable features of this integration is fractional ownership, which enables users to purchase small portions of high-value stocks that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Trading will also be available 24 hours a day, five days a week, breaking away from the restrictions of traditional US market hours. This flexibility lowers barriers for global investors and represents a major step toward democratizing access to equities. Looking ahead, xStocks is set to become available on the TON blockchain in Q4, further cementing TON’s role as the foundation for Telegram’s growing financial ecosystem. By combining blockchain scalability, tokenization, and Telegram’s massive user base, the initiative has the potential to redefine how millions of people interact with traditional markets. Related Reading: Galaxy’s Digital Bitcoin Sales Continue: 1,190 Bitcoin Moves To Binance Toncoin Holds Support Amid Prolonged Downtrend Toncoin (TON) is trading around $2.80 after a modest rebound of nearly 3.6% on the 3-day chart. Despite the short-term bounce, the broader trend remains bearish, with TON locked in a prolonged downtrend since peaking above $8.50 in early 2024. Price has consistently posted lower highs and lower lows, signaling persistent selling pressure. The moving averages reinforce this picture. TON remains well below its 50-period (blue), 100-period (green), and 200-period (red) moving averages. The inability to reclaim these levels underscores weak momentum and the dominance of bears in the market. The $3.00 area has become a critical resistance zone; without a decisive break above it, TON risks further sideways or downward action. Related Reading: The Bitcoin Long: Bybit Traders Push BTC Taker Buy/Sell Ratio Above 24 Support continues to cluster near $2.50–$2.70, where buyers have stepped in repeatedly over the past months. A breakdown below this level could accelerate losses toward $2.00, while a successful defense may allow the token to consolidate and attempt another push higher. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com
The company, which will operate under the ticker "ATON" starting Sept. 4, will manage TON network infrastructure, it said.
Telegram username @crypto, bought for $350,000, now commands a $25 million offer — showcasing the explosive rise of tokenized digital identities on the TON blockchain.
TON jumped 3% to $3.41 as Telegram began rolling out its integrated self-custodial wallet to 87 million U.S. users, enabling seamless crypto payments inside the app.
Hip Hop legend Snoop Dogg released a nearly 1 million non-fungible token (NFT) collection on Telegram, which sold out in minutes. The launch created massive interest online and raised over $10 million in sales. Related Reading: Bitcoin Back In ‘Retesting Phase’ After Key Level Reclaim – The Calm Before The Storm? Snoop Dogg’s Telegram Drop Raises $12 Million On Wednesday, Snoop Dogg launched digital collectibles on Telegram, igniting an NFT frenzy on the platform. The collection offered unique NFTs inspired by the rapper’s style, including multiple marijuana-themed collectibles, anthropomorphic beagles, and vintage cars. The drop is part of Telegram’s Collectible Gifts, unique works of art on the platform that can be displayed on profiles and have special attributes. As the website explains, the collectibles can be transferred between users or auctioned on NFT marketplaces. Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, revealed that the Snoop Dogg drop sold out in 30 minutes, selling 996,000 NFTs for $12 million, adding that “Blockchain minting and the secondary market go live in 21 days. It’s going to be wild.” Last week, Durov shared that the 4th of July-themed Gifts also sold out within minutes, with over 800,000 collectibles selling in 10 minutes. Amid the collectibles’ launch, the rapper promoted it alongside a new track titled “Gifts” on his official Telegram Channel. He shared the link to the song’s music video and tagged Durov’s Telegram channel, saying, “time to drop it like it’s hot.” In the track, Snoop Dogg shouts out Toncoin (TON), the native token of the TON Blockchain, and Telegram. “Plug in my phone, get dressed, and then I plot my play / Critical existence, digital resistance / Shifted, gifted, and lifted / (…) / Stickers and games on Telegram, guess it’s coming soon / My privacy is not for sale,” some of the lyrics read. Notably, this isn’t the rapper’s first NFT venture, as he entered the space when the sector first gained mainstream popularity in 2021 and dropped collections in 2022 and 2023. NFT Mania Making A Comeback? On X, NFT lead at the TON blockchain, Zenith highlighted the drop’s success, as some of the supply gifts sold out in less than 2 minutes. He explained that Telegram gifts have had a peak market capitalization of over $200 million and a trading volume of $122 million since their launch. According to the post, the first OG collection, the Plush Pepe, now has a floor price of 4,200 TON, worth $11,886. “They are NFT Collectibles that are on the TON Blockchain and inside of Telegram!” he noted. To Zenith, this could be the start of a new NFT narrative, adding that they “would not be surprised if other famous brands or web3 IPs would want to launch some gifts too!” However, they pointed out that it could also mean nothing for the sector. In a recent report, DappRadar shared that Q2 data revealed new narratives are emerging, while old ones are “making a comeback.” The report claims that “NFTs are becoming more affordable, but the interest hasn’t disappeared. On the contrary, it’s shifting in nature,” a trend the platform’s analysts have been observing “for a while.” Related Reading: Solana Ready For $160 Reclaim? Analysts Say Breakout Is A Matter Of Time Notably, NFT trading volume dropped by 45% in Q2, but sales increased by 78%. Meanwhile, the number of traders increased 20% from Q1, with an average of 668,598 monthly traders. “Taken together with the spike in sales, this suggests a slow but steady return of users to the NFT space, although likely for different motivations than in previous cycles,” the report concluded. Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Stake $100K in Toncoin and pay a $35K fee for a UAE Golden Visa, says TON Foundation; community debates legitimacy and government support.
Disguised as a Zoom update, North Korean hackers use the new NimDoor malware to steal crypto and infiltrate crypto companies, researchers say.
Ravindra Kumar was fired as CEO of Binance-listed Self Chain after reports linked him to a $50 million Telegram OTC scam, which he has denied involvement in.
Affluent, which will be accessed as a mini app within Telegram, has debuted as a kind of "smart bank for crypto"
Telegram’s token faces headwinds despite showing signs of potential support formation on the short-term.
Toncoin (TON), the native token of The Open Network (TON), has climbed over 5% in the past 24 hours, signaling renewed market demand. This rebound comes on the heels of a broader market downturn that saw TON decline alongside other major cryptocurrencies late last week. Amidst these small-scale movements, crypto analyst Ali Martinez notes the altcoin appears to be preparing for a major price breakout. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Trend Above $100,000: The Good News And The Bad News Toncoin Charts 40% Move As Triangle Hints At Breakout In an X post on May 31, Ali Martinez shares an insightful take on the TON market. Using the 4-hour trading chart, the expert analyst highlights that TON’s price movement over the past four months has created a symmetrical triangle pattern hinting at the strong potential of a major price breakout. The symmetrical triangle is a neutral chart pattern that reflects price compression due to the formation of higher lows and lower highs. Inherently, this chart pattern suggests neither the buyers or sellers are in affirmative control of the market, indicating there is much potential for a 40% price swing on either side. Currently, Toncoin trades around $3.16 following the recent price bounce. If market bulls force a breakout from the upper boundary around $3.28, the altcoin is expected to trade as high as $4.55-$4.65. Meanwhile, a breakdown at the lower boundary around $3.10 could result in a market price between $1.80-$1.90. Interestingly, TON’s relative strength index currently sits at 49.37 facing the upward direction which also suggests a neutral market while noting that bullish momentum is starting to build. A cross over 50 would provide bulls confirmation as TON makes its way to the overbought zone. Related Reading: Tron (TRX) Future Retail Activity Indicates More Gains Ahead – Analyst TON Market Overview As earlier stated, TON continues to trade at $3.16 reflecting market gains of 5.12% and 4.62% in the past one and seven days, respectively. Telegram LLC which served as initial developers of TON and offers a deep integration with the cryptocurrency project has registered a series of positive developments contributing to these recent price leaps. Most notably, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the platform’s partnership with xAI which would grant users in-app access to Grok, the prominent generative AI model. As part of this one year partnership, Telegram is to receive $300 million in cash and equity investment as well as earn 50% of all xAI revenue generated via the messaging platform. With a market cap of $7.79 billion, Toncoin ranks as the ninth largest cryptocurrency in the world despite a year-on-year loss of 49.98%. Featured image from Pintu Academy, chart from Tradingview
Despite the denial, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov stated that the deal has been "agreed in principle" and that "formalities are pending."
The messaging app, with over 1 billion users, plans to use $955 million to buy back existing bonds and the remaining $745 million for growth.
TON pulled back on Thursday after Elon Musk poured cold water on a deal to bring Grok AI to Telegram, which was announced by Pavel Durov.
PLUS: BlueSky's Jay Graber says decentralization has a place in her growing social network, but not blockchain or crypto. Trump administration goes to court over trade dispute.
"No deal was signed" said Musk, the xAI CEO, in response to an announcement earlier on Wednesday by Telegram's Pavel Durov
Telegram will also receive 50% of revenue from xAI subscriptions sold via the app.
The funds will be used to repurchase debt and are convertible into equity if Telegram goes public.
Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov has taken direct aim at Meta-owned WhatsApp, calling it a “cheap copycat” and accusing it of launching smear campaigns against his platform. His May 15 comments accompanied the announcement of a new $50,000 contest to showcase Telegram’s features. The competition will run until May 26. ‘Watered-down’ Durov said the contest will showcase […]
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Telegram has taken down thousands of accounts linked to two massive black-market networks, Xinbi Guarantee and Haowang Guarantee, effectively turning off their operations. Blockchain firm Elliptic reported these networks facilitated over $35 billion in stablecoin transactions through Telegram-based marketplaces. Despite the crackdown, the operators of these illicit marketplaces are reportedly not backing down. Tom Robinson, co-founder […]
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Telegram has now shut down both Haowang and Xinbi, which processed a combined $35 billion of illicit transactions in stablecoins
Also: Bitcoin DeFi Blossoms, Fusaka Planning Begins, and Telegram Cracks Down on Crypto Crime Marketplace
Illicit marketplaces are a key part of the growing global cyberscams industry, with Southeast Asia being among the hubs for such activity.