Telegram Founder Pavel Durov: Gram Wallet Now Open to Some Users
Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced on his personal channel that the in-app Gram wallet is now ready and is currently open to some users, with plans to gradually roll it out to over 1 billion users in the coming weeks.
He thanked the validators who approved the core smart contract, stating that this means future upgrades will not require cumbersome wallet migrations. The wallet is positioned as non-custodial, with users holding their own keys, and is part of several changes aimed at enhancing the usability of non-custodial wallets.
In July, he predicted this would be "the largest deployment of non-custodial crypto wallets in human history," and promised instant zero-fee transfers with Gram. Gram is a rebranded version of Toncoin. Telegram has become one of the largest validators on the network, which has significantly reduced network fees.
There are also third-party custodial wallet mini-programs available within the app. The native wallet uses built-in distribution rather than requiring a separate application. The project was initiated by the Durov brothers in 2018, and after Telegram exited due to a U.S. securities regulatory lawsuit in 2020, the network was advanced by the community, with the company re-establishing brand, validation, and distribution in 2026.
In terms of market mechanics, the cost is borne by users who have opened Telegram but do not yet hold on-chain accounts, while the independent wallets must incur customer acquisition costs. The event is driven by validators approving contracts and gradual scaling, with funds flowing from in-app transfer habits to the Gram network; benefiting are platforms that can write a billion entry points as default wallets, while the existing TON wallet teams face pressure to either persuade users to migrate or coexist.
Source: Public Information
ABAB AI Insight
The main concern with non-custodial wallets is not usability, but the need to migrate during upgrades. By having validators approve the core contract, Durov effectively removes the migration burden from users' schedules. For a product aimed at a billion users, migration costs can negate any interface optimizations. Durov's inclusion of this step in the launch announcement indicates a focus on operational maintenance before addressing usability.
The capital pathway involves converting daily active users of the chat application into on-chain account funnels. Telegram first becomes the largest validator, then reverts the token to the old name Gram, and integrates the wallet into the main application. Funds flow into network fees and validation revenues from the expectation of zero-fee transfers, with users initially perceiving "no need to migrate wallets." The custodial mini-programs remain, indicating that both product lines are temporarily running in parallel, competing for the same group of users who have not yet interacted with private keys.
The benchmark is WeChat integrating payments into chat, and exchanges incorporating Web3 wallets into their apps while still requiring separate account setups. The crypto space is currently in a phase where "distribution is scarcer than protocol": on-chain monthly active wallets number in the millions, while Telegram's monthly active users are in the billions. The 2019 securities case interrupted a token issuance, and in 2026, the same brand will be reintroduced through application distribution.
Structurally, this represents a reconstruction of the industry chain. The mechanism is: when a communication entry point decides who can first access private keys, wallets no longer rely on plugin stores for customer acquisition but on updates to the chat software. Validators approve contracts, and what follows is the right to distribute. Whoever controls the update channel controls the default form of non-custodial wallets.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
- A wallet for a billion people must first solve the migration issue during upgrades.
- Distribution entry points are scarcer than the chain itself.
- Once integrated into chat software, independent wallets must redefine their reason for existence.