Pavel Durov announced on July 21 that Telegram will roll out a native non-custodial Gram wallet across its entire application this summer, with the ambition of bringing instant, zero-fee crypto transactions to the platform’s more than 1 billion users. This marks Telegram’s latest expansion into digital payments, while signaling that the company is moving crypto from a side feature straight into the core product experience.
A Bigger Wallet Bet
Notably, Durov was not referring to an experimental feature or a standalone mini-app, but to integrating the Gram wallet directly into the entire Telegram app. Through this approach, Telegram is placing crypto right where users interact daily, rather than leaving it in an isolated corner of the ecosystem.
🌍 This summer will see the largest rollout of a non-custodial crypto wallet in human history.
⚡️Instant zero-fee crypto transactions for over a billion users are about to become reality.
We’re bringing a native non-custodial Gram wallet to every Telegram app! 💎
— Pavel Durov (@durov) July 21, 2026
When a platform with over 1 billion users talks about a native, non-custodial wallet and zero-fee transactions, it is no longer just a standard technical update. It resembles a push to make digital payments a natural part of the messaging experience, allowing users to interact with crypto without ever leaving the app.
Telegram’s Distribution Edge
According to Telegram’s press page, the platform surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2025. At this scale, even if only a small fraction of users begin using the wallet, it would be enough to create a significant shift in payment behavior within the app.
Telegram’s official page currently displays 396 validators, 1.9 million monthly active wallets, and approximately 3.3 million transactions in 24 hours. Additionally, they reported over 175.3 million smart contracts. While these numbers do not guarantee a successful rollout, they indicate that Telegram is deploying within an infrastructure that already possesses an active user base and large-scale on-chain activity.
Existing Wallet vs New Rollout
Telegram already features a Crypto Wallet integrated directly into the app’s interface, allowing users to buy, sell, send, exchange, and store crypto. This official name was also changed to Crypto Wallet starting July 10.
Durov’s recent announcement, however, mentions a native non-custodial Gram wallet. This phrasing suggests he is referring to a different wallet layer than the existing custodial product, rather than merely reiterating the wallet feature Telegram previously added to the app.
According to the TON community, the proposal to rename the native token from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) passed with 81.22% support and took effect on June 15, 2026. The TON community also stated there is no swap, bridge, claim, or migration required for users. This aligns Telegram’s new announcement with an ecosystem that has recently transitioned to a new brand identity.
The User and Market Angle
According to Durov, Telegram is not just adding a crypto wallet to a messaging app, but bringing digital payments right into the same user experience. With over 1 billion monthly active users, Telegram holds a distribution edge that very few consumer crypto products possess.
GRAM is currently trading around $1.52, with a 24-hour volume of approximately $44.81M and a market cap of around $4.15B; the token is also down 0.6% over the last 24 hours and 4.7% over the past 7 days.
GRAM price chart (4h). Source: TradingView
Since Durov only mentioned “this summer,” Telegram has not yet announced a specific rollout date. Open questions remain regarding which markets will be opened first, where the wallet will appear in the app, and whether there will be accompanying regulatory hurdles.
What To Watch Next
Three open questions remain: where Telegram will deploy first, how the new wallet differs from the current Crypto Wallet, and whether regulatory hurdles will be attached. If Telegram confirms a phased rollout or announces that the wallet will appear directly in the app’s main menu, it will signal that this feature is being integrated into the core user experience rather than remaining just an announcement.
Telegram has only stated “this summer,” so a specific rollout schedule has not been announced. This leaves details such as which markets will open first, how the wallet will be integrated into Telegram’s interface, and the initial scope of deployment as the most anticipated aspects of upcoming updates.
