TON Wallet Goes Live for U.S. Users—Telegram Just Supercharged Crypto Adoption

Messaging giant Telegram flips the switch on TON Wallet for American users—turning 80 million monthly active U.S. accounts into potential crypto wallets overnight.

No more sidelining

The move bypasses traditional banking gatekeepers, letting users buy/sell BTC and TON directly within the app. Watch out, Coinbase—this is onboarding at scale.

Not your keys, not your coins?

The self-custody feature shocks skeptics—Telegram’s embracing decentralization while Meta’s Libra ghosts still haunt Silicon Valley. Bonus jab: Wall Street banks now scrambling to explain why their ‘blockchain initiatives’ never got past the PowerPoint stage.

Wallet Access Without Leaving the App

Users can now send and receive crypto through their Telegram chats. Everything happens inside the same interface people already use to talk to friends and join communities. There are no extra apps to download or complex signups to deal with. The wallet is part of the chat experience, designed to be quick and accessible without disrupting how people already use Telegram.

U.S. Rollout Follows Legal Review

Telegram held off releasing the wallet in the U.S. due to earlier legal concerns. The team behind the launch said recent regulatory developments gave them more confidence to MOVE forward. With a large user base in the U.S. already in place, the team saw an opportunity to bring the wallet to a new market under clearer conditions.

Recovery System Designed for Regular Users

Instead of requiring users to write down or memorize long seed phrases, the wallet uses a two-part recovery method. One part connects to the user’s Telegram account. The other is tied to their email. This system lowers the chances of users getting locked out and helps them avoid one of crypto’s most common pain points.

Features Go Beyond Simple Transfers

The wallet includes tools for swapping tokens, staking, and buying crypto with a debit card. It also connects to Telegram’s Mini App system, giving users access to blockchain-based services without leaving the app. These features are designed to make crypto feel like a built-in part of the chat experience rather than a separate product.

Toncoin Responds to the Launch

Toncoin, the network’s native token, saw increased trading activity following the rollout. Its price moved upward shortly after the announcement, with gains continuing into the following week. Analysts linked this to growing user engagement and renewed interest in the TON ecosystem.

Expansion Builds on Earlier Global Releases

Telegram first made the wallet available outside the U.S. in 2023. By 2024, over 100 million users worldwide had activated it. The U.S. release is the latest step in that expansion. Telegram has been gradually adding financial tools to its platform, combining social messaging with digital payments and blockchain access.

What This Means for Crypto Use

Bringing a self-custodial wallet into a familiar app reduces the effort required to use crypto. People don’t need to learn new tools or manage multiple accounts to try simple features like sending stablecoins or using a staking service. Telegram’s approach could make casual crypto use more common by meeting users where they already are.

Key Takeaways

• Telegram has launched its built-in TON crypto wallet for all U.S. users, reaching 87 million people with direct in-app access.
• Telegram fully integrated the wallets into chats, letting users easily send, receive, and manage crypto without switching apps.
• A new split-key recovery system removes the need for seed phrases, helping onboard more mainstream users with less friction.
• Users can buy, swap, and stake tokens directly from the wallet, plus access Web3 services through Telegram’s Mini App ecosystem.
• Toncoin saw a price boost after the U.S. rollout, signaling positive market response and growing ecosystem engagement.