Durov push lifts Toncoin 100% after Telegram validator launch

Toncoin climbed more than 100% over the past week after Pavel Durov announced he would take a personal role in developing the TON blockchain, while Telegram began operating validators and reduced transaction fees. The moves coincided with a surge in on-chain activity tied to Telegram features.

The changes followed the MTONGA initiative and public comments by Durov about closer integration between TON and Telegram. Telegram launched several dozen validators that have staked in excess of 100 million TON, and network fees were cut to lower transaction costs for users and developers.

On-chain metrics show a sharp increase in use. Daily swap volume on STON.fi rose to more than $40 million from roughly $1.5 million a week earlier, an increase of over 26 times. Andrey Fedorov, who tracks TON infrastructure, pointed to the volume spike as evidence that the execution layer that handles transactions inside wallets, bots and mini-apps is beginning to handle larger loads. He noted: “The infrastructure is starting to not only attract attention but also withstand real loads,” and cited stress tests that included meme-coin trading waves and near-instant transaction performance.

Alexander “RocketMan” Shepelev, founder of xRocket, said Telegram-launched validators and a rise in gifting activity appear to have increased Durov’s TON holdings. He described staking tokens through validators as commercially sensible while acknowledging that higher staking by Telegram could raise concerns about centralization, but did not expect it to damage the network.

Kirill Pistsov, head of product development at FINAM, described the market reaction as treating Durov’s announcement and the validator role as a signal that Telegram will expand functionality on TON. He added that lower fees could attract more users and developers to the network.

Experts gave different short-term forecasts. Pistsov cautioned that the rapid and large price gain had created speculative momentum and heightened the chance of a local price correction. Shepelev said he remains cautious because the community has previously reacted skeptically to governance changes and wants to see how Durov’s hands-on role unfolds. Fedorov outlined a longer-term view in which TON becomes a transaction layer embedded in Telegram products, with payments and exchanges built into apps and games.

Market participants noted that traders responded more to the recent operational steps — validator launches, fee reductions and rising volumes — than to earlier announcements. Analysts said only sustained product integration and stable network performance will determine whether the recent rally is durable.