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Toncoin Surges 25% as Telegram Takes Direct Control

By CMC AI
May 5, 2026 at 11:04 PM UTC
Toncoin Surges 25% as Telegram Takes Direct Control

Toncoin's 25% Surge: Telegram's Direct Control and Ecosystem Boom

Toncoin's 25% price increase in the last 25 hours is primarily driven by Telegram's founder announcing that Telegram will take over the TON network, reduce fees, and implement new upgrades.

Telegram's Direct Control of TON

Pavel Durov announced that Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main driver and largest validator of The Open Network, repricing TON as a "Telegram led" chain.¹ This move reduces execution risk for traders, who now see TON as more closely tied to Telegram's user base.

Near Zero Fees and Concrete Upgrade Roadmap

TON transaction fees were cut roughly 6× to near zero, with a public roadmap for new ton.org, dev tools, and performance upgrades.² This makes TON attractive for high frequency, low value use cases within Telegram, such as tips and mini app payments.

Ecosystem and Narrative: "TON Season" and Meme Coins

News of Telegram’s takeover sparked a broad "TON season" narrative, with TON based meme coins like Dogs and Notcoin spiking.³ This speculative interest pulled more capital into the ecosystem, reinforcing the narrative that TON is the current high beta ecosystem for meme and mini app speculation.

On Chain Activity, Staking, and Market Structure Feedback Loops

Staking and on chain activity jumped around the announcement, with roughly 67 million transactions in April and a staking ratio increase of about 18.36%. High staking yields and a 6× leveraged long worth around $1.31 million on TON perpetuals amplified the upside move. Spot and derivatives volume exploded, pushing daily trading to the $600–900 million range.¹²³

Conclusion

Toncoin's 25% move is driven by Telegram's direct control, fee cuts, and promised upgrades, reinforced by ecosystem speculation, surging staking, and high leverage. This combination created a sharp breakout rather than a small drift higher.

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