Durov wants a Gram wallet in every Telegram app by summer

@durov is pushing what he describes as the largest non-custodial wallet rollout in crypto history. The plan: embed a native Gram wallet directly into every @telegram app before summer ends, putting self-custody crypto transfers within reach of the messenger's entire user base.

A Billion-User On-Ramp

The scale of the ambition is difficult to overstate. With over one billion users and a wallet embedded directly in the app, Telegram is already the largest messaging platform to integrate crypto into its interface. Baking a non-custodial $GRAM wallet natively into every client would extend that reach further still, removing the need for users to seek out a third-party app or browser extension before touching crypto for the first time.

The existing Telegram wallet already provides zero-fee TON transfers, peer-to-peer trading, and integrated DeFi access, all directly inside Telegram chats. The new push goes a step further by making the non-custodial version the default, meaning users retain control of their own keys rather than relying on a custodian.

The underlying network, The Open Network, is built for exactly this kind of load. TON operates with roughly 0.4-second block times and near-zero fees, with Gram transfers costing a fraction of a cent, fixed regardless of network congestion. The chain has already handled more than 700,000 new wallets per day during peak periods on the mainnet.

Gram, TON, and a Rebranded Vision

The wallet push sits inside a broader strategic shift Durov kicked off earlier this year. Toncoin officially returned to its original identity, Gram, following an announcement from Durov in early June 2026. The transition required no technical token swap and marked the fourth phase of the "Make TON Great Again" roadmap. On May 4, 2026, Durov had already announced that Telegram would replace the TON Foundation as the primary driving force behind The Open Network.

Adopting the Gram name signals that Telegram leadership believes the token is now an established commodity rather than an unregistered security offering, a distinction that matters given the project's regulatory history. The original October 2019 SEC complaint argued that Gram tokens promised to investors were unregistered securities, and a federal court agreed in March 2020.

If the rollout lands as planned, the next wave of crypto users may not arrive through exchanges, DeFi dashboards, or wallet extensions. They may arrive because the payment button is already inside the app they use every day.

Sources
Crypto Briefing: Telegram Rebrands TON Coin to GRAM
Forbes: Inside Telegram's Plan to Turn a Billion People Into Crypto Users
The Open Network: Official TON Overview