TON President Outlines Telegram’s Path to Becoming a ‘Web3 Super App’

The integration of payments, messaging, and online identification into Telegram could transform the messenger into a globally accessible super app for the digital economy. This was stated by Manuel Stotz, President of the TON Foundation, in an interview with TheStreet.

According to him, Telegram is already evolving into a full-fledged content marketplace powered by cryptocurrencies.

“Now influencers can send exclusive content — videos, photos, music — and charge fans directly. Undoubtedly, the creator economy is already using this for monetization,” Stotz exemplified.

However, he believes that the integration of digital assets into the messenger carries far broader global implications.

Approximately 3 billion people worldwide lack access to banking services or are severely restricted in this regard. Residents of many developing countries cannot use stable currencies, instead dealing with constantly depreciating money like Zimbabwean dollars with 100 trillion notes, Stotz noted.

“But now they have smartphones,” he emphasized.

Gadgets and the internet provide access to crypto tools like stablecoins, which allow for saving and conducting transactions with greater stability. To some extent, this is a matter of human rights and even physical survival in third-world countries, Stotz believes.

In January, Telegram and the TON Foundation announced an exclusive agreement requiring embedded Web3 applications to use only The Open Network (TON). The monopoly sparked outrage within the community.

Earlier, TON developers presented the project’s roadmap for the first half of 2025.