Telegram founder Pavel Durov has announced plans to integrate a native, non-custodial Gram wallet directly into the messaging application. Expected to launch for Telegram’s global user base of over 1 billion monthly active users, Durov described the upcoming rollout as the “largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history.”
The native wallet will allow users to send instant peer-to-peer cryptocurrency transfers directly to their contacts without relying on third-party custodial intermediaries or downloading external applications. Uniquely, Telegram claims the service will offer fee-free transactions, though the company has not yet detailed how it intends to cover underlying network gas costs or manage global regional compliance and user onboarding.
Brand Realignment: Returning to the Original Gram Identity
The wallet announcement closely follows the official decision by The Open Network (TON) ecosystem to rebrand its native utility token, Toncoin, back to Gram. The shift restores the original asset name used in Telegram’s initial 2018 white paper prior to its high-profile legal dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Following the 2020 SEC settlement, where Telegram returned $1.2 billion to early backers and paid an $18.5 million fine, independent open-source developers maintained the underlying network. In recent years, Telegram has progressively reintegrated the blockchain, using its native token for in-app advertising, creator monetization, and mini-app microtransactions. Following the rebranding announcement, Gram’s spot price rallied 19% to reach $2.21.
Expanding Financial Infrastructure to Autonomous AI Agents
Beyond basic consumer peer-to-peer transfers, the Gram wallet launch aligns with broader automated infrastructure developments built on TON. Development team TON Tech recently deployed the Agentic Wallets standard, an architecture that enables autonomous AI agents operating via Telegram bots to manage dedicated, user-funded smart contract wallets.
Under this dual framework, human users retain master seed control over their primary assets while delegating restricted spending budgets to automated bots. While Telegram has not yet published technical documentation outlining how the consumer Gram wallet will interact with these developer tools, the initiative establishes a massive distribution channel for decentralized financial services directly inside a mainstream global communications platform.
