TON 2025-2026: Growth of Mini Apps, Bots, and Tap-to-Earn
TON (The Open Network), originally called Telegram Open Network, is a blockchain deeply integrated into Telegram, a messaging platform widely associated with privacy-first features. TON runs natively within the messenger, extending Telegram beyond simple texting. This allows users to play games, earn tokens, trade through bots, and send or receive crypto — without needing any blockchain knowledge.
Below is an overview of the TON economy, its state in 2025–2026, and key features you may have overlooked.
TON and Telegram: Origins and Evolution
Pavel and Nikolai Durov, the brothers who founded Telegram, developed TON in 2018, but its launch was delayed. The reason was a lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) claiming TON’s initial Gram (GRAM) token was an unregistered security.
After Gram was shut down, the community-led TON Foundation took over development. The TON network officially launched on the mainnet in 2021, without Telegram’s direct involvement.
TON is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain, built independently rather than operating on top of another network. Its native token, Toncoin (TON), is used for transfers, payments, staking, gaming, and running decentralized applications.
TON in 2025–2026: Telegram-Based Use Cases
Telegram has over 1 billion users, who can access TON-based apps directly through the built-in wallet or by connecting supported wallets.
The network was most active in September 2024, when viral Telegram games were launched. While that surge has cooled, on-chain Telegram Mini Apps (TMAs) remain popular, with more than 130,000 daily active users, according to TonStat. Telegram continues to support a broad range of TON-based features.
Payments, Assets and Bots
- Telegram Wallet: The wallet lets users easily store, send, and receive cryptocurrencies with contacts, invest in stocks, and access other financial features. It is integrated into Telegram and accessible by searching "wallet" and selecting the verified bot.
- Stars: If you're active on Telegram, you might have seen Stars under channel posts. They serve as Telegram's in-app digital currency for content rewards, gifts, and purchases. You can learn more about Stars in the "Telegram Stars" mini-course on EMCD Academy and buy them on the EMCD P2P platform.
- Trading bots: These automated tools connect users' crypto exchange accounts to Telegram, allowing trades to be executed via chat commands. They support functions like automated trading, early access to new token launches, and strategy copying from other traders.
Telegram Mini Apps
- Tap-to-Earn Games: Early examples that went viral include Hamster Kombat, DOGS, and Notcoin. Users earn tokens by tapping screens and completing in-game tasks. In 2025, new games launched, including city-building and strategy titles like Rocky Rabbit and Catizen. Most TON games distribute tokens through airdrops within Telegram.
- Decentralized Finance (DeFi) platforms: These apps allow users to swap tokens, stake assets, and provide liquidity within Telegram. They work by linking Telegram Wallet to TON-based DeFi platforms like STON.fi.
- Educational tools: Apps that help users learn new skills and topics through quizzes, flashcards, and interactive lessons in Telegram.
Digital Collectibles
- Gifts: In May 2025, Telegram announced that gifts and stickers in the app can be turned into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that people own. In total, more than 544,000 unique addresses have traded digital gifts by January 2026.
- Usernames and domains: Telegram usernames (such as @yourname) and .ton domains are issued as NFTs on the TON blockchain. They can be traded on Fragment, Telegram’s official marketplace for domain names.
Summing Up: What Makes TON Different
TON brings blockchain apps directly into Telegram, creating an ecosystem where using decentralized applications (dApps) is simple and accessible. The platform continues to expand with new tools and use cases.
At the end of 2025, Cocoon, a decentralized AI network, was launched on TON, allowing users to contribute GPU power and earn TON cryptocurrency.
TON offers multiple ways for users to earn rewards and interact with crypto with minimum friction. At the same time, its popularity also brings risks, including scams, high-risk programs, and malicious bots. These risks can be reduced by handling links carefully and approaching messages with caution.
