Telegram | Crypto

The privacy-preserving decentralized AI platform is built on top of The Open Network, and users earn TON for renting out computing power. The Cocoon decentralized AI network, a privacy-preserving distributed computing platform built on The Open Network (TON) — an independent layer-1 blockchain associated with the Telegram messaging application — went live on Sunday. Cocoon allows owners of graphics processing units (GPUs) to rent their computing power to the network, processing user queries and requests in return for Toncoin (TON), the native token of the TON blockchain.  The decentralized AI network has processed its first requests from users, and GPU owners are already profiting from renting out their hardware, according to Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov. He said: Read more

The new project, dubbed Cocoon, aims to give users access to AI tools without surrendering their data to centralized providers. Pavel Durov, co-founder of the messaging application Telegram, has disclosed a new decentralized AI network to be built atop The Open Network (TON), an independent layer-1 blockchain associated with Telegram. Durov took the stage at the Blockchain Life 2025 forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to announce the Confidential Compute Open Network, or Cocoon, created to give users access to AI-driven features without sacrificing data privacy to centralized AI providers. According to Durov, users can make the processing power from their graphics processing units (GPUs) available to the network, in exchange for receiving Toncoin (TON), the native token of TON. Durov also touched on why decentralized AI is needed for human freedom: Read more

Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov said that French intelligence pressured Telegram into censoring political content, which he refused to do. Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov claimed that French intelligence services asked him to censor content related to the election in Moldova in 2024 in exchange for saying “good things” to the judge overseeing his trial, which he declined to do. Durov said the messaging platform initially took down some posts that “clearly” violated Telegram’s terms of service, but declined to remove any additional content for political reasons. Durov wrote in a Sunday Telegram post: Their only commonality was that they voiced political positions disliked by the French and Moldovan governments. We refused to act on this request,” he continued. Read more

DYdX is recovering from an up-and-down 2024, where the DEX laid off 35% of its workforce in October. Decentralized exchange dYdX has updated its 2025 roadmap, outlining plans to launch a Telegram trading integration as the platform faces declining earnings. According to the roadmap, dYdX plans to roll out a series of software upgrades that include a partner fee share, scale and TWAP orders and designated proposers, targeting the reduction of end-to-end trading latency. In addition, the DEX plans to launch Telegram-based trading in September, enabled by its July acquisition of Pocket Protector, a social trading app. As part of the deal, Pocket Protector co-founder Eddie Zhang joined dYdX as president. Read more

Durov said French law enforcement officials are still "struggling" to find evidence of wrongdoing even one year on from his arrest in 2024. Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging application Telegram, provided an update regarding his ongoing case in France, and said the criminal investigation against him is “struggling” to find any evidence of wrongdoing. Durov said his arrest by French authorities in August 2024 was “unprecedented” and added that holding a tech executive accountable for the actions of independent users was “legally and logically absurd,” in a Telegram post on Sunday. Durov added: “One year after this strange arrest, I still have to return to France every 14 days, with no appeal date in sight,” he continued, while also warning that the French government has done irreparable damage to France’s image as a free country. Read more

Telegram username @crypto, bought for $350,000, now commands a $25 million offer — showcasing the explosive rise of tokenized digital identities on the TON blockchain.

Telegram rolls out TON Wallet to US users, enabling self-custodial crypto transactions, DeFi access and off-ramp features within the app. Telegram began rolling out its native cryptocurrency wallet to users in the US, marking a significant expansion of its blockchain-based services. Built on The Open Network (TON) blockchain, TON Wallet is the first self-custodial crypto wallet to be integrated into a major social platform available to US users, according to a Tuesday news release shared with Cointelegraph. Supported by the TON Foundation, the wallet allows users to send, receive and store digital assets directly within the Telegram app, eliminating the need for external downloads or browser extensions, according to the announcement. Read more

The next wave of Web3 neobanks won’t be standalone apps; they'll be embedded within platforms people already use. Opinion by: Vlad Kamyshov, CEO of Evaa Protocol The race to build the next big Web3 neobank is missing the point. Most projects are still focused on launching standalone apps, creating new interfaces and rebuilding user acquisition strategies from the ground up. It’s a familiar playbook, and increasingly an outdated one. In crypto, the next generation of finance won’t ask users to switch apps; it’ll meet them where they already are. Telegram and The Open Network (TON) aren’t trying to become neobanks themselves. They’ve already moved beyond that contest — one where Revolut and Monzo still fight for share. Together, they offer what nearly every crypto banking product lacks: a built-in audience, an intuitive interface, distribution embedded inside existing user flows and the rails to deliver instant financial utility.  Read more

Telegram-based dark markets rapidly filled the gap left by Huione Guarantee after the $27 billion marketplace disappeared on May 13, according to a June 23 Elliptic report. Elliptic noted that Telegram banned thousands of Huione Guarantee channels and usernames once researchers traced billions of USDT-denominated sales to pig-butchering scams. However, data shows that merchants immediately […] The post Dark market activity on Telegram persists despite $27B Huione ban – Elliptic appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Telegram founder will once again be allowed to travel to Dubai for a short period before returning to France, where his case is ongoing. Telegram founder Pavel Durov gained court approval to leave France for up to 14 days to travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where the company is headquartered. Durov will be allowed to leave France on July 10 after having a travel request denied by French officials in May, according to French news outlet Le Monde. The executive had requested permission to travel to Oslo, Norway, to deliver a keynote address at the Human Rights Foundation’s Oslo Freedom Forum, which was presented remotely after French officials rejected his travel application. Read more

[PRESS RELEASE – New York, USA, June 18th, 2025] TAC, a purpose-built blockchain for EVM dApps to access TON and Telegram ecosystem, has raised a total of $11.5 million across its seed and strategic rounds. The newly closed $5 million strategic round, led by Hack VC, reinforces institutional belief in TAC’s mission to enhance blockchain […]

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov’s first since being indicted on six charges in 2024, said his company did nothing wrong. Telegram founder Pavel Durov is still trying to figure out why he was detained in France last August, though the motives may have been political and tied to authorities’ efforts to crack down on alleged illicit activity on the messaging platform. That was one of the key takeaways from Durov’s interview with Tucker Carlson, which premiered Tuesday on YouTube.  In his first interview since his Aug. 24, 2024, arrest at Bourget Airport outside Paris, Durov said French authorities appeared primarily interested in how Telegram works — “as if it’s some kind of mystery,” he quipped. Read more

Elon Musk stated on May 28 that xAI had not signed an agreement with Telegram to distribute the Grok large language model, despite Telegram founder Pavel Duvov’s announcement earlier on the same day. Durov wrote that he and Musk “agreed to a one-year partnership” that would place Grok inside all Telegram applications and give the […] The post Musk says no deal signed with Telegram despite Grok integration announcement appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The messaging platform will use most of the proceeds to repay existing bondholders, with the remainder allocated as working capital to support ongoing operations. Telegram, a messaging platform, raised $1.7 billion from investors in a recent bond offering featuring a 9% coupon that closed on May 28. According to Bloomberg, the company will use a portion of the proceeds to pay $955 million in debt from a previous bond issue set to mature in 2026. The remaining $745 million is fresh capital for growth and operational costs. Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov wrote in a Telegram post: Read more

Telegram is no longer just a privacy-first chat app for crypto bros. With a dramatic one-two punch, a $300 million alliance with Elon Musk’s xAI and a $1.5 billion high-yield bond raise, Telegram has moved from insurgent platform to profit engine. TON jumped 15% after Durov confirmed the collaboration. Yet its future, including IPO prospects, […] The post TON jumps 16% as Telegram gets $300M plus xAI equity to integrate Grok appeared first on CryptoSlate.

xAI’s Grok could soon be accessible in Telegram and will offer chats, text editing, chat and document summaries, inbox agents, group chat moderation and more. Update (May 28, 11:12 pm UTC): This article has been updated to add X posts from Elon Musk and Pavel Durov regarding the deal. Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has “agreed in principle“ to integrate its AI chatbot Grok across Telegram, says the messaging platform’s CEO, Pavel Durov. Durov said in a May 28 X post that he and Musk agreed to a one-year partnership for Telegram to distribute Grok across Telegram and integrate it into its apps. Read more

Social media platform Telegram founder Pavel Durov said he “flatly refused” the request of a Western European government to censor conservative political content. In a Telegram post on May 18, Durove wrote: “Telegram will not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users or block their political channels.” The demand for censorship came ahead of today’s scheduled […] The post Telegram founder ‘flatly refused’ to censor political content ahead of Romanian election appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov has taken direct aim at Meta-owned WhatsApp, calling it a “cheap copycat” and accusing it of launching smear campaigns against his platform. His May 15 comments accompanied the announcement of a new $50,000 contest to showcase Telegram’s features. The competition will run until May 26. ‘Watered-down’ Durov said the contest will showcase […] The post Pavel Durov calls WhatsApp ‘cheap copycat,’ launches $50K contest to showcase Telegram’s superiority appeared first on CryptoSlate.

With 72M+ users and addictively simple gameplay, TapSwap is more than just a crypto fad — it’s evolving into a full-scale blockchain gaming platform. TapSwap is a tap-to-earn Web3 application that lives inside Telegram — no separate download required. Are your crypto friends obsessed with tapping their phones all the time? Welcome to the world of TapSwap. TapSwap is a tap-to-earn game released in mid-2024 in the Telegram Mini Apps ecosystem. The game quickly catches your attention: one minute you’re just curious… the next, you’re tapping away at 2 am trying to squeeze out one more energy boost.  Read more