Telegram’s founder has announced that the platform plans to support TON-based NFT gifts later this year. The feature will let users convert limited-edition animated gifts into blockchain-based assets, bringing verifiable ownership and transferability to Telegram’s existing gifting experience.
Animated gifts will become on-chain NFTs
Under the planned update, users will be able to tokenize limited-edition animated gifts and register them on the TON blockchain. Once minted as NFTs, these gifts can be displayed on user profiles and integrated into Telegram’s in-app ecosystem, including possible use alongside Stars, the platform’s in-app currency.
Usable inside Telegram and tradable outside the app
Telegram also intends to allow users to auction and trade these NFT gifts outside the app. Ownership records will be secured on the TON blockchain, enabling users to hold and transfer the assets beyond Telegram’s internal interface. This expands the role of digital gifts from a social feature into a potentially tradable form of digital property.
Telegram deepens ties with the TON ecosystem
The move reflects Telegram’s broader push to integrate more closely with the TON ecosystem and experiment with blockchain-based social features. By combining gifting, scarcity, profile display, and external market activity, Telegram is positioning NFT gifts as a new way for users to celebrate special occasions. While no detailed launch timeline or technical specifications have been provided yet, the announcement signals a continued effort to blend messaging, community engagement, and on-chain assets.