Toncoin rises by 36% following Telegram’s substitution of the TON Foundation and reduction of fees.

The market is reassessing TON as a Telegram-driven ecosystem once more, rather than merely a chain managed by a foundation with a messaging application narrative attached.

What to know:

• Toncoin has increased by over 36% within 24 hours, surpassing the overall market performance.
• Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, stated that Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the primary force behind the chain.
• He also mentioned that transaction fees on TON’s parent blockchain, The Open Network, have nearly dropped to zero.

Toncoin (TON) is experiencing a rally as the messaging service Telegram assumes a more proactive role in the token’s parent network and advocates for reduced transaction fees, a change that appears to be fueling this upward movement.

TON has surged over 36% in the last 24 hours, reaching a four-month peak of $1.80, based on data from CoinDesk. It serves as the native token of The Open Network, which is a Layer 1 blockchain aimed at integrating cryptocurrency payments and applications into the Telegram messaging service.

The optimistic outlook has permeated the Telegram-associated ecosystem, with Notcoin rising nearly 26%, Dogs climbing more than 100%, and several smaller TON-related tokens showing even more significant daily increases.

The market appears to be responding to Telegram’s announcement of replacing the Ton Foundation as the leading force behind TON.

In a post on X on Monday, Telegram founder Pavel Durov declared that the messaging platform would become TON’s largest validator and take over as the main driver of the ecosystem, with new developer tools, performance enhancements, and an updated ton.org anticipated within two to three weeks.

A validator is a specialized node or participant that verifies transactions, secures the network, and maintains the integrity of a blockchain.

Assuming the role of the largest validator indicates Telegram’s commitment to supporting the chain’s security and direction. This likely mitigates one of TON’s significant challenges, specifically the disconnect between the Telegram narrative and the Ton Foundation’s implementation.

The developments do not conclude there. In the same X post, Durov noted that TON fees have decreased sixfold to nearly zero, following a prior announcement that transaction costs would fall to 0.00039 TON, or about $0.0005, with expectations that most transactions will eventually transition to a fee-less model.

Fees in TON have dropped 6× — to nearly zero.

Next step — Telegram replaces the TON Foundation as the driving force behind TON and becomes its largest validator.

The focus shifts to tech superiority.

New https://t.co/Me0w683UiK, new dev tools, new performance upgrades.…

— Pavel Durov (@durov) May 4, 2026

Transaction costs approaching zero are crucial for the types of products Telegram can effectively distribute, such as on-chain tips, games, bot payments, mini-app transactions, collectibles, and small retail transfers.

A fee that may seem trivial to a DeFi investor can be detrimental to a consumer application if users are transacting small amounts. Minimal fixed costs enhance TON’s usability for frequent, low-value transactions, increasing its attractiveness as a blockchain among current users.

Various tracking platforms estimate Telegram’s monthly user base at nearly one billion, although the company has not publicly confirmed or denied these figures.

However, TON’s fundamentals have not aligned with that excitement in recent years. Data from DefiLlama indicates that TON holds just over $69 million in locked value across its decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, significantly below its 2024 highs near $800 million. Daily chain fees average around $3,600, DEX volume is about $29 million, and app revenue sits near $134,000.

According to Tonstat, daily active wallet activity on TON is just under 50,000, stemming from approximately 136,000 unique wallets. This is in contrast to roughly 700,000 daily activities across more than 2.2 million wallets during August and September 2024, as per the data.