Pavel Durov says Telegram will roll out Gram wallet
Pavel Durov says Telegram will roll out a native non-custodial Gram crypto wallet this summer, bringing instant, fee-free self-custody crypto transactions to the app’s more than 1 billion users. Telegram has not yet published a firm launch date or fuller technical details.
Key Takeaways
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced a native non-custodial Gram wallet planned for this summer.
- The wallet is pitched for instant, fee-free crypto sends inside Telegram’s messaging app.
- Durov called it the largest non-custodial crypto wallet rollout in history, without a firm launch date.
- The move follows The Open Network’s plan to rename Toncoin to Gram, echoing Telegram’s 2018 white paper.
- Telegram passed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025, giving the wallet unusually large potential reach.
What did Pavel Durov say about Telegram’s Gram wallet?
In a Wednesday post, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the messaging platform will introduce a native non-custodial Gram wallet this summer. He framed the product as a way for users to keep custody of their own crypto while sending funds instantly and without fees.
Durov described the release as the “largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history.” That claim hinges on Telegram’s scale rather than disclosed adoption targets. According to Cointelegraph’s report, the company has not shared a firm launch date or extra technical specifications.
For readers tracking payments and digital assets, the announcement sits within BlasterPost’s ongoing Fintech & Crypto Alerts coverage of messaging apps adding self-custody tools.
Why does a native Gram wallet matter for Telegram users?
A built-in wallet could put self-custody crypto transfers inside an app people already open daily. Telegram said it surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025, so even modest uptake could expand peer-to-peer crypto access far beyond typical standalone wallets.
Non-custodial design means users—not Telegram—would hold the keys under the model Durov described. That distinction matters for people wary of leaving funds on centralized platforms, though Telegram has not published a full feature list, supported assets, or security documentation beyond the high-level pitch.
The news also arrives as crypto markets showed fresh momentum, with Bitcoin briefly topping $67,000 amid optimism over US crypto legislation—context that may amplify attention around large consumer crypto launches.
How does Gram connect to Telegram’s crypto history?
The wallet news comes weeks after The Open Network, the blockchain closely tied to Telegram, said it plans to rename its native token from Toncoin to Gram. That change revives the name used in Telegram’s 2018 white paper. Durov cast the rebrand as a return to the project’s roots.
Telegram has increasingly supported the TON ecosystem since dropping its original blockchain project after a 2020 settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The network has framed the Gram rebrand as part of a broader push to grow crypto services and Web3 features inside Telegram.
Until Telegram confirms timing, supported chains, and safety details, the summer rollout remains a directional promise—one with rare distribution potential if it ships as described.