Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov has announced plans to launch what he described as the largest ever rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet this summer.

 

According to Durov, the non-custodial Gram Wallet will provide Telegram's more than 1 billion users with access to instant zero-fee crypto transactions. Because the wallet is non-custodial, users will retain full control of their private keys.

 

Built on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, Gram Wallet, formerly known as TON Wallet, was developed primarily by The Open Platform (TOP) in close collaboration with the Telegram team. The wallet was designed to make interacting with crypto seamless and easy.

 

Despite its initial legal challenge with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2018, the TON project continued to evolve. In 2023, TON Wallet was integrated with Telegram Mini Apps, contributing to significant growth and adoption in 2024. During that period, the wallet grew from a niche product to more than 100 million activated wallets.

 

In June this year, Toncoin (TON), the native cryptocurrency of the TON ecosystem, was rebranded to GRAM. According to Durov, the rebrand was intended to return the project to its original roots. He noted that Gram was the original name of TON's currency in its first white paper. "We're returning to our roots and starting a new chapter," Durov said in the announcement.

 

With the launch of the non-custodial wallet, users will no longer need to access existing wallets through bots or a separate section of the Telegram app. Instead, the wallet will be integrated directly into Telegram, making it easily accessible and enabling users to send and receive crypto at no cost.