2024: The Year Blockchain Goes Mainstream with TON and Telegram
Since the publication of the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008, blockchain technology has been expected to revolutionize financial transactions by introducing peer-to-peer settlement layers. While blockchain has grown significantly, it’s struggled to achieve mass adoption and sustainable, real-world use cases outside niche areas.However, this narrative shifts with the introduction of TON (The Open Network), integrated into Telegram. At Token2049 in September 2023, Telegram announced its native crypto wallet, TON Space. Within a year, the ecosystem has exploded, boasting over 10 million monthly active users, surpassing the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) ecosystem. Notably, Tether’s USDT on TON became the fastest-growing stablecoin in history, reaching $1 billion in circulation within just four months.2024: The Year Blockchain Goes Mainstream with TON and Telegram [https://blog.midas.app/content/images/2024/09/data-src-image-4cb5e6c2-6915-417f-97b7-c46f7c0ab944.png]Source: tonstatsThis figure is still growing, as Hamster Combat marked the largest airdrop ever, with 130 million users claiming the token. Going forward, millions of new blockchain users will emerge as they acquire TON to claim rewards and participate in the on-chain ecosystem, exchanging tokens for USDT on a CEX or DEX.Beyond the "tap-to-earn" hype, I expect the TON ecosystem to grow sustainably based on three key advantages: 1. Telegram’s large user base 2. Exceptional user experience (UX) 3. Low transaction feesOver time, I believe Telegram is steering toward becoming a global SuperApp, similar to WeChat, with TON serving as the decentralized settlement layer for financial transactions. This marks a significant step toward fulfilling the original vision of blockchain—a peer-to-peer electronic cash system with millions of users globally.“2024 will go down in history as the year when hundreds of millions of people became familiar with blockchain.” (Pavel Durov [https://t.me/durov/336?ref=blog.midas.app], Founder of Telegram)KEY ADVANTAGES OF TON AND TELEGRAM INTEGRATION 1. Exceptional User Experience (UX)One of the biggest barriers to blockchain’s mass adoption has been complex UX—users must deal with seed phrases, gas fees, and complicated transactions. These friction points prevent mainstream users from utilizing on-chain transactions for day-to-day money transfers.In stark contrast, Telegram’s TON wallet operates like a seamless Web 2.0 application. Sending USDT on Telegram is as intuitive as sending a regular message. See the three simple steps below.