TON Jumps 30% As Durov Says Telegram Will Take The Lead

Toncoin surged sharply after Pavel Durov said Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main driving force behind The Open Network and become its largest validator, marking the messaging platform’s most explicit operational step back into the blockchain it originally launched.

TON climbed from roughly $1.35 to about $1.80 in the move, an increase of around 30%, with CoinMarketCap ranking it among the top 20 crypto assets by market capitalization during the rally.

Durov Puts Telegram Back At The Center Of TON

The immediate trigger was a post from Durov on May 4, who framed the move as the next phase of TON’s technical roadmap after a major reduction in network fees.

“Fees in TON have dropped 6× — to nearly zero. Next step — Telegram replaces the TON Foundation as the driving force behind TON and becomes its largest validator. The focus shifts to tech superiority,” Durov wrote.