The Open Network Foundation is expanding its partnership with Telegram to boost the adoption of the TON blockchain.

In their announcement on Jan. 21, the TON Foundation and Telegram revealed that the TON blockchain will now exclusively support Telegram’s mini apps.

As part of this growing ecosystem, popular game projects are launching on the Toncoin (TON)-powered blockchain. Tap-to-earn games like Hamster Kombat and Notcoin, which gained signficant traction on Telegram in 2024, are among the highlights.

What does this mean?

With this expanded collaboration, TON has become the blockchain infrastructure for Telegram mini apps. Apps currently not using TON must transition to the network by February 21, 2025. Projects opting to migrate will benefit from technical support, streamlined user onboarding, and marketing assistance.

The TON Foundation has also introduced grants of up to $50,000 in ad credits to support project migration efforts.

This collaboration is expected to drive fresh adoption of TON across Telegram’s vast user base of 950 million monthly active users. To facilitate this, TON Connect will become the exclusive wallet for mini apps, except in cases involving bridging.

The Open Network initially started as Telegram Open Network in 2017, with Telegram raising $1.7 billion to develop a blockchain-based decentralized platform.

However, following regulatory challenges with the SEC, Telegram abandoned the project in 2020. In 2021, a community of developers revived the initiative, launching the TON blockchain mainnet. By 2023, Telegram and the TON Foundation partnered to support the network’s growth, with Telegram enabling Toncoin payments.

The partnership marks the beginning of TON’s next phase of growth, TON Foundation president Manuel Stotz said in a statement.

“After laying foundational groundwork over the last years, TON is now ready for explosive growth in 2025. The re-energized, deepened, and exclusive partnership with Telegram is an important step in our roadmap,”Stotz noted

Growth initiatives include leveraging the TON blockchain for asset tokenization, such as emojis and stickers. Telegram also plans to introduce tokenized gifts on the blockchain through NFTs.