Telegram is about to open self-custody Gram wallets! 1 billion users are about to embrace self-custodied cryptocurrencies.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced that the messaging app will roll out a built-in self-custody Gram wallet this summer, enabling more than 1 billion users to send cryptocurrencies directly within the app, with no fees.
（Background: Foreign media: Telegram’s blockchain TON, which raised 50 billion TWD, and the testnet is about to go live）
（Background update: Telegram has finally publicly confirmed its cooperation with TON and Gram, and will launch a standalone wallet integrated into the messaging app）

Table of Contents

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• The entry point to a self-custody wallet for 1 billion users
• Gram returns to TON, its original name on the blockchain
• Non-custodial vs custodial: what’s the difference?

Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on the Telegram channel on Wednesday announcing that this messaging app, used by more than 1 billion users worldwide, will launch a native non-custodial Gram wallet this summer, allowing users to send cryptocurrencies directly within the app—with no fees and instant settlement.

Durov described the move as the “largest-scale non-custodial crypto wallet rollout in human history,” but Telegram has not yet disclosed the exact launch date or technical details.

The entry point to a self-custody wallet for 1 billion users

According to official Telegram information, the platform surpassed 100 million monthly active users in 2025 and is, in practice, already at a 1 billion-user scale. This potential audience far exceeds the reach of any standalone crypto wallet app; even with minimal adoption, it could significantly expand the adoption of self-custody wallets and peer-to-peer crypto payments.

At present, Telegram users who want to conduct crypto transactions need to do so via the built-in wallet feature or third-party integrations (such as the TON Space wallet). With a native non-custodial wallet, users will have more complete control over their private keys and no longer rely on a custodial provider.

Gram returns to TON, its original name

The timing of this wallet release is meaningful. Just a few weeks ago, the TON blockchain—tightly integrated with Telegram—announced that its native token would be renamed from Toncoin to Gram, restoring the original naming from Telegram’s 2018 whitepaper.

Durov said this is a “return to the project’s original intent.” Since resolving with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2020, Telegram has continued to invest in the TON ecosystem, and Durov has repeatedly emphasized on the Telegram channel the blueprint for expanding Web3 capabilities.

Non-custodial vs custodial: what’s the difference?

A non-custodial wallet (Non-custodial wallet) means the private keys are held by the user, and the cryptocurrency is stored directly on the blockchain rather than in an exchange or a third-party account. By contrast, in a custodial wallet, the service provider holds the private keys, and users must trust the provider’s security capabilities.

Telegram’s choice of the non-custodial model means users will have more complete control over their assets, but it also means they need to store the seed phrase or private keys themselves. For 1 billion messaging app users, this is also a large-scale opportunity for crypto onboarding and education.