The first half of 2025 has been absolutely incredible for The Open Network! We've seen some major developments that are genuinely changing how people think about blockchain technology. From a completely new programming language to an exclusive partnership with one of the world's biggest messaging platforms, TON has been busy building some stuff! While it hasn't been perfect and their network faced some real challenges too, including a regulatory issue that taught everyone important lessons about transparency. So, let me tell you what’s been happening and what that means for anyone involved with crypto.
💡 Tolk 1.0: A Brand New Way to Build on TON
Got a big technical news for you, TON officially launched Tolk 1.0 on July 19th, completely replacing FunC as the blockchain's main programming language for smart contracts. This isn't just a small update, and its going to change how developers work with TON.What does Tolk 1.0 do?
The improvements are impressive! Tolk 1.0 cuts gas usage by up to 40% compared to equivalent contracts that are coded in FunC language. Exciting and modern TypeScript-inspired syntax. Built specifically for how TON handles transactions.Making Development Actually Enjoyable We might finally get to see a blockchain that works the way modern programmers expect it to.
A new world record this launch happened right when TON achieved a verified world record of 104,715 transactions per second. CertiK security firm confirmed this using 256 servers from Alibaba Cloud, so we know these numbers are real.
TON Connect: The New Standard The TON Connect protocol has become the exclusive wallet connection standard for all Telegram Mini Apps. This means every single app in Telegram's ecosystem now runs on TON infrastructure. Plus, Toncoin is the only cryptocurrency accepted for Telegram services, including: Telegram Stars, Premium subscriptions, Advertising payments.
📱 Telegram Partnership: Reaching Nearly a Billion People
Now let's talk about what might be the most significant partnership in crypto history. TON's exclusive relationship with Telegram has reached full implementation, making TON the only blockchain infrastructure powering Telegram's entire Mini App ecosystem. We're talking about real scale here – this partnership gives TON direct access to 950+ million monthly active users. That's nearly a billion people who can now use blockchain technology through an app they already know and trust.Breaking Into the American Market 🇺🇸
Here's where things get really interesting – July 22 marked the launch of TON Wallet for all 87 million US users. This is the first self-custodial crypto wallet integrated into a major social platform specifically for the American market. The growth numbers are genuinely impressive:- 170,000-190,000 daily active wallets
- 10,000 new non-custodial wallets joining daily
- Over 100 million global wallet registrations
⚠️ The UAE Golden Visa Situation: Learning from Mistakes
We need to talk about something that didn't go so well. On July 6th, TON CEO Max Crown announced a UAE Golden Visa program that required $100,000 in TON staking plus $35,000 in fees. It sounded exciting at first. But UAE authorities quickly said this wasn't accurate. The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security confirmed that Golden Visas "do not include digital currency investors." This was awkward.Aggressive and misleading marketing
The TON Foundation moved quickly to clarify that no formal government partnership exists, describing the initiative as still being in the "early exploration" stage. Industry leaders, including former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, called it "aggressive/misleading marketing." What impressed us most was how quickly TON recovered. Despite the initial market volatility, TON bounced back and currently trades around $3.26-$3.46. This shows that people still believe in TON's long-term potential, even when mistakes happen.💼 Building for Real-World Success
TON isn't just building cool technology; they're building for actual adoption. Under new leadership, including Max Crown as CEO (formerly MoonPay's CFO/COO) and Nikola Plecas as VP of Payments (ex-Visa executive), the network has focused on regulated expansion and institutional adoption. The foundation has allocated $200 million for grants and sponsorship programs, supporting 57 projects across gaming, DeFi, and infrastructure development. This is strategic investment in building a sustainable ecosystem.Technical Improvements That Matter The upcoming developments are genuinely exciting:
- "Accelerator" mainnet upgrade for better scalability
- Layer 2 payment network development
- TON BTC bridging mechanisms
TON has set an ambitious goal: bringing 30% of Telegram users (270+ million people) into crypto by 2028. Six months ago, this might have seemed unrealistic. Today? It's looking much more possible.
Real Technical Advantages Let's be honest about what TON brings to the table:
- 5-second block times with under 6-second finalization
- Transaction costs around $0.02
- Proven scalability with record-breaking performance
Compare that to Ethereum's slower, more expensive network, and you start to see why people are getting excited about TON's potential.
TON still faces real challenges too, and the UAE situation highlighted something important which we hope that it gave TON CEO a good lesson: the need for verified partnerships and transparent communication as TON keeps growing.
Why This All Matters Right Now
With strong institutional backing, proven technical capabilities, and unprecedented distribution advantages, TON is uniquely positioned to bridge social media and blockchain technology for regular people.The question isn't whether TON will succeed, it’s how quickly they can execute on their vision while maintaining the transparency and regulatory compliance that sustainable growth requires. Based on what we've seen in the first half of 2025, they're building something worth paying attention to. ⭐
