Telegram Set to Become Major Crypto Payment Gateway Through TON Pay Integration
A newly released SDK from TON Pay enables Telegram Mini Apps to process payments in Toncoin and stablecoins through a unified, cost-effective checkout system, with ambitions to transform TON into a payment infrastructure serving 1.1 billion users monthly.
A fresh payments software development kit (SDK) called TON Pay has been introduced by The Open Network Foundation, engineered to facilitate cryptocurrency usage for routine consumer purchases within Telegram's digital environment.
Through a Monday announcement provided to Cointelegraph, the offering is framed as an uncomplicated, wallet-neutral payment infrastructure enabling merchants and developers of Mini Apps to process crypto payments natively through Telegram, with the objective of transforming the platform into a central location for frictionless commerce powered by blockchain technology.
The TON Foundation states that TON Pay delivers to developers a unified software toolkit that connects with Telegram Mini Apps, eliminating significant friction typically linked to overseeing wallet architecture, payment settlement, and transaction completion processes.
Nikola Plecas, vice president of payments at the TON Foundation, explained that the solution enables merchants to "accept payments seamlessly and natively on TON through a simple SDK integration," noting that it functions with multiple wallets and digital currencies, including Toncoin (TON) and Tether's USDt (USDT).
The infrastructure was built with scalability in mind, he explained, featuring targeted transaction completion times under one second and typical fees remaining beneath one cent. Plecas stated that the overarching objective is to "power transactions for Telegram's global audience of over 1.1 billion monthly active users."
Through direct payment integration within Telegram, TON Pay aims to eliminate typical obstacles to cryptocurrency adoption, including complicated multi-step checkout procedures, upfront gas fee requirements, and insufficient merchant-focused tooling.
TON Pay targets everyday payments inside Telegram
In its initial phase, TON Pay will function within Telegram Mini Apps, with roadmap plans calling for expansion into web-based environments and additional platforms in subsequent phases.
Plecas explained that the Foundation was concentrating on perfecting the in-application user experience initially, observing that "onchain Telegram-based commerce is an enormous opportunity."
Forthcoming enhancements, he indicated, will introduce capabilities for subscription-based payments, zero-gas transactions, and location-specific off-ramp solutions.
The development team additionally intends to establish partnerships with regional third-party service providers for custody solutions, regulatory compliance, and fiat currency conversion capabilities, a strategy designed to strike a balance between decentralization principles and regulatory obligations.
Supplementary merchant-oriented features, encompassing analytics dashboards and multiparty-computation wallet technology, are currently under active development.
TON Pay enters crowded 'everything app' race
The introduction of TON Pay arrives as competing major platforms advance their integrated payment initiatives. Elon Musk's X has revealed intentions for X Money as a component of a comprehensive expansion into financial service offerings, and a transition toward constructing so-called "everything apps" capable of managing messaging, commercial transactions, and payment processing within a singular interface.
Coinbase is executing a comparable approach, having rebranded Coinbase Wallet as the Base app, a comprehensive crypto everything app that merges wallet functionality with social networking features, payment capabilities, trading options, and compatibility for onchain mini applications operating on its Base layer-2 blockchain network.
TON encounters persistent skepticism connected to its extensive integration with Telegram, which has faced previous criticism regarding its insufficient decentralization, ambiguous governance structures, and fraudulent schemes associated with unauthorized projects.
The TON Foundation asserts that TON continues to operate as an open, permissionless blockchain network where developers retain freedom to build independently.
Merchants utilizing TON Pay, Plecas indicated, are required to adhere to "platform-specific terms and policies" established by Telegram, with supplementary compliance requirements becoming applicable as the SDK extends its reach beyond the messaging application.
"We are designing a system that addresses key challenges in crypto payments," Plecas stated, including friction points, gas fee burdens, and user onboarding difficulties, while maintaining competitiveness with traditional fiat payment systems.