Telegram's TON Network Pushes Web3 Adoption With 20 Million Users

Telegram, the global messaging app, has recently gained significant attention due to its rapid growth and potential in the crypto industry. With over a billion users, Telegram has become a hub for web3 enthusiasts and early blockchain adopters. The app's simple, reliable, and user-friendly interface, along with its end-to-end encryption, has made it a popular choice among users.

Telegram's pitch goes beyond security and privacy. Many users utilize the app daily without considering its encryption features. The app's simple user experience (UX) and efficient messaging set it apart from competitors. The rapidly expanding Telegram MiniApps and their scale of adoption provide the platform with a significant head start.

Through TON (The Open Network), Telegram is not just another platform for crypto expansion but a fundamentally different adoption paradigm. Blockchain functionality is woven into the existing user environment, flipping the traditional adoption model from “pull” to “push.” This requires new strategic approaches, where the ecosystem proactively develops tools and ships them directly to a ready and waiting user base.

Most blockchain projects today are built for people already familiar with web3, emphasizing the ethos of DeFi but struggling with onboarding new users. The typical target audience of such projects likely spends time on crypto exchanges and has some technical understanding of the underlying technology. Developers optimize their products for crypto-natives, resulting in a steep learning curve for new users. The hope that consumers will eventually “get it” is misguided.

The behavioral characteristics of Telegram and TON’s global user base defy conventional crypto adoption patterns. They are transaction-oriented rather than speculation-focused, valuing immediate utility over theoretical potential. For example, the rapid adoption of TON-based games like Catizen, which onboarded over 20 million users in just months, demonstrates how intuitive, value-first experiences resonate.

Telegram and TON are uniquely placed to capture a vast new consumer base for web3 projects. Quoting Pantera Capital’s Dan Morehead, “99.999% of blockchain projects are a tech idea trying to create a community—from nothing. … Telegram is a community integrating blockchain technology.”

To ensure web3 thrives on Telegram, the industry must focus on the value added through DeFi primitives: yield, borrow, and swaps. DeFi can be embedded invisibly into MiniApps, creating new monetization models without users realizing they interact with the blockchain. For example, users can unlock in-game perks by temporarily locking tokens, generate yield through DeFi vaults, or use “Buy Now, Pay Later” mechanics backed by crypto collateral. Even token swaps can be streamlined within the MiniApps, turning everyday actions like gaming or gifting into seamless DeFi interactions that benefit developers and users.

Developers must recognize that Telegram’s interface is not just a frontend; it is the environment where new consumer expectations are shaped. Users seek immediacy, simplicity, and relevance. Telegram MiniApps already serve as touchpoints for games, fintech, and social utilities, making them ideal vessels for embedding DeFi logic behind the scenes. Instead of forcing users through hurdles of understanding gas fees or remembering seed phrases, developers can integrate mechanics directly into intuitive flows. These features don’t need to be labeled as “DeFi” to deliver value; they reliably enhance what users already do.

These embedded financial features act as silent engines, powering new experiences without asking users to understand the machinery. This is how Telegram becomes not just a distribution means but the surface where the next wave of web3 UX takes shape. The breakthrough strategy must be both technological and psychological. When customers are using web3 technologies without needing complex explanations, the industry will truly conquer the next frontier.