Telegram has become one of TON network's validators after investing approximately 2.2 million TON, valued at about $2.88 million. The news sent Toncoin up 7.5% intraday, trading between $1.42 and $1.45. Founder Durov stated that TON transaction fees have dropped nearly sixfold, now approaching zero, and the next phase will focus on technical performance.
Telegram Takes Over Development; TON Foundation's Role Shifts
Until now, the TON Foundation acted as the main ecosystem coordinator. With this fresh investment and validator role, Telegram is taking the lead in product development, technical deployment, and network maintenance. Durov said the massive Telegram community will be leveraged to accelerate tech upgrades, with new tools and performance updates rolling out within two to three weeks.
Catchain 2.0 Upgrade Slashes Block Time to 400 Milliseconds
The Catchain 2.0 upgrade, launched April 9, reduced block production time from about 2.5 seconds to just 400 milliseconds. It also brought major improvements to Telegram Mini Apps and payment systems. On May 1, the base transaction fee was fixed at 0.00039 TON (around $0.0005), a steep cut designed to support microtransactions and high-frequency activities within the Telegram ecosystem.
Technical Outlook: RSI at 66.8, Key Resistance at $1.47–$1.50
According to CryptoAppsy data, Toncoin surged above its 20-day simple moving average and neared the upper Bollinger Band. Critical resistance lies between $1.47 and $1.50; a sustained close above this range could propel the price to $1.55 or $1.60. Key support is at $1.35, and a break below could see a pullback to the $1.26–$1.30 area. The RSI stands at 66.8, indicating strong bullish momentum—but readings above 70 would signal short-term overbought conditions.
Wallet Count Surges to 32 Million; 2026 Validator Vote to Adjust Inflation
TON ecosystem wallets skyrocketed from 2.9 million to over 32 million in the past year. Telegram Mini Apps have become a central hub for user activity, and the new Streaming API v2 reduces dApp response times to 30–100 milliseconds, rivaling traditional mobile apps. A validator vote in 2026 will consider proposals to reduce block rewards—from 1.7 TON to 0.35 TON on the main chain and from 1 TON to 0.2 TON on mainnet—to counter the annual inflation rate increase from 0.6% to 3.6% caused by faster block times from Catchain 2.0. Analysts say continued gains depend on Toncoin holding above $1.50, with $1.35 remaining a crucial support.