Telegram is preparing a major push into crypto: founder Pavel Durov announced the company will roll out a native, non-custodial Gram wallet inside the messaging app to more than 1 billion monthly users this summer, promising instant, fee-free transfers between contacts. Durov called the planned integration “the largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history.” The wallet would be built directly into Telegram, so users wouldn’t need to download a separate app. Unlike custodial services, the wallet is designed to leave private keys in users’ hands rather than with Telegram or a third party. Key details remain missing. Telegram hasn’t given a firm release date, listed supported assets, or explained how it will cover blockchain network costs while offering fee-free transfers. The company also hasn’t clarified rollout logistics (global vs. phased), recovery and security mechanisms, regional restrictions, or whether any identity checks will be required for specific services. The timing leverages Telegram’s scale: the app reported more than 1 billion monthly active users in 2025. Even modest adoption among that base could introduce millions of people to self-custody and peer-to-peer crypto payments—an audience size few standalone crypto products can match. The wallet announcement follows The Open Network’s (TON) decision to rename its native token from Toncoin back to Gram—the name used in Telegram’s original 2018 blockchain white paper. Durov framed the change as a return to the project’s early identity; the blockchain will remain called The Open Network. The token transition reportedly took about three weeks, required no coin swap from holders, and sent Gram’s price up as much as 19% to $2.21 after the news. Gram’s reappearance also revives historical regulatory baggage. Telegram’s original blockchain project used the Gram name and, after raising $1.7 billion in 2018–19, faced an SEC lawsuit alleging an unregistered securities distribution. Under a 2020 settlement, Telegram agreed to return more than $1.2 billion to investors and pay an $18.5 million civil penalty, then withdrew from the project; independent developers continued the open-source work that became today’s TON network. Since that split, Telegram has steadily folded TON-based functionality into the app. Reports say advertisers can buy Telegram ads with the network token, creators can accept crypto payments, and developers can build games, stores, and other TON-connected services. Durov also said venture capital investment into Toncoin (now Gram) exceeded $400 million in 2025, naming backers such as Sequoia, Benchmark, Ribbit Capital, Draper Associates, and Vy Capital. Parallel to the Gram wallet, TON Tech introduced an Agentic Wallets standard on April 28 that lets AI agents, operating via Telegram bots, control user-funded, on-chain wallets to perform limited financial tasks (transfers, swaps, DeFi interactions). Under that design, users fund an agent’s separate wallet and set permissions and spending limits; control remains anchored to the main wallet, enabling withdrawals or cancellation of access. TON Tech says no intermediary holds the funds and that existing TON wallets don’t need upgrades because the system uses standard smart-contract structures. Agentic Wallets and the proposed Gram wallet target different use cases—people-to-people transfers versus programmatic agent activity—but both underline TON’s push to build payments infrastructure inside Telegram. It remains unclear whether the native Gram wallet will connect to Agentic Wallets or other TON products. Until Telegram releases technical documentation and rollout terms, the announcement sets scale and a fee model but leaves security, availability, supported assets, and the mechanics of fee-free transfers unresolved. What’s clear: Telegram is betting its massive user base can accelerate mainstream exposure to self-custody and on-chain payments. Whether the Gram wallet can balance user convenience, security, regulatory compliance, and sustainable network-fee economics will determine if this becomes a watershed moment for crypto adoption—or another high-profile product launch with open questions to answer. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news