Telegram to Launch Crypto Wallet for Its 1 Billion Users This Summer

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has announced plans to roll out a non-custodial crypto wallet to the platform’s roughly 1 billion users, calling it the largest rollout of its kind in history.

Durov Teases Fee-Free Transactions

Durov shared the announcement directly on Telegram, offering few specifics but hinting at instant, zero fee crypto transactions as part of the rollout. The move builds on last month’s decision to rebrand The Open Network’s native token, Toncoin, to GRAM, alongside Telegram taking over from the TON Foundation as the ecosystem’s primary steward and largest validator.

Existing Wallet Already Has Scale

Telegram currently offers a self-custodial wallet called Wallet, which had surpassed 150 million registered users earlier this year and allows people to store and trade digital assets directly within the app. Given Telegram’s massive reach among crypto users, the platform has long been seen as a natural entry point for bringing new users into the space.

A Complicated History With GRAM

Telegram first launched the TON project back in 2018 but abandoned it a couple of years later following a legal dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. That case forced the company to halt sales of its GRAM tokens after a court found the token distribution likely violated securities laws.