TON Pulls the Plug: Toncoin Bridge Shuts Down May 10 in Surprise Move

TON’s interoperability lifeline gets axed—no more Toncoin Bridge after May 10, 2025. Was it ’strategic streamlining’ or just another crypto project cutting losses? You decide.

Active phase-out begins now: Users scramble to migrate assets as clock ticks on cross-chain transfers. No grace period, no nostalgia—just cold, hard blockchain pragmatism.

Behind the curtain: Speculation swirls whether this signals TON’s pivot to self-contained ecosystems or simply avoids regulatory spaghetti. Either way, bridge tolls just got existential.

Closing thought: Another DeFi experiment folds, but don’t worry—your favorite VC-backed stablecoin will surely bridge that gap (for a 3% fee).

Why the Bridge Is Retiring

The Toncoin Bridge has been super important for TON’s growth, especially early on. When Toncoin wasn’t on centralized exchanges (CEXs) and DeFi wasn’t a thing on TON, the bridge was the go-to tool for moving Toncoin to Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain. That way, users could trade it for other tokens on platforms like Uniswap and PancakeSwap.

Even when Toncoin finally made its way to CEXs, the bridge stuck around as the main way to access decentralized exchanges (DEXs) until TON built its own. It also lets people use wrapped assets like jUSDT. 

After 4 years and 100M+ $TON bridged, Toncoin Bridge is retiring.

Starting May 10, 2025, users will no longer be able to bridge $TON to Ethereum or BNB Chain. Claims from past transfers will stay open, and inbound bridging remains live for now.

Toncoin Bridge was essential in… pic.twitter.com/d1VCItdtIy

But now that TON’s ecosystem is more developed, the bridge isn’t needed as much. TON is working with cross-chain platforms like LayerZero, Stargate, and Symbiosis, and its own DeFi scene is thriving. So, there’s less reason to leave the TON network to use or trade Toncoin.

What Does This Mean for Users?

Retiring the bridge is a sign that TON’s evolving. As the network grows, it’s putting more focus on newer, scalable cross-chain solutions, which should make things more secure and smoother for users.

If users have already bridged Toncoin to Ethereum or BNB Smart Chain, they all good—their assets will still be claimable after May 10. For now, users can still bridge Toncoin into TON, but that’s going away too, so stay tuned for updates on that.

A Quick Look Back at the Bridge’s Legacy

The Toncoin Bridge helped TON get to where it is today. Here’s a quick recap:

• Toncoin Ethereum Bridge (v1): August 2021
• Toncoin BNB Smart Chain Bridge (v2): October 2021
• Toncoin Ethereum Bridge (v3): April 2023

• 31,893 transfers processed
• 101,228,451 TON bridged to Ethereum and BNB Smart Chain

• Ethereum: 35,694 holders, 460,000+ transactions
• BNB Smart Chain: 113,495 holders, 2.6 million+ transactions

As the bridge gets retired, TON is shifting its focus to newer cross-chain tech. Bridge oracles will start withdrawing their staked TON, but everything will keep running smoothly. Expect more updates on token transfers soon.

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