On May 5, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram has become the largest validator in The Open Network, effectively taking over the position TON Foundation previously held as the ecosystem’s primary driving force. According to Durov, Telegram’s presence in the validator pool creates a “counterbalance” to other major participants, helping prevent the network from becoming concentrated in the hands of a single player.
Earlier, on May 4, Durov shared details about current and upcoming changes. Transaction fees on TON have already been reduced sixfold — nearly to zero. Over the next two to three weeks, the team plans to launch an updated ton.org website, release new developer tools, and continue improving network performance.
Toncoin reacted with a sharp surge — the token gained 26% in 24 hours, reaching approximately $1.79. TON’s market capitalization surpassed $4.8 B, pushing the asset into the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap. Trading volume at certain points rose to more than three times its usual level.
TON staking yields now exceed 20% annually, accelerating the flow of coins into validation. The minimum threshold to run a validator currently stands at around 824 TON, while the maximum is approximately 2.4 M TON, with both figures continuing to climb. The network currently includes more than 340 validators across roughly 29 countries, while total staked volume, according to various estimates, ranges from 500 M to 667 M TON. Telegram itself has reportedly staked more than 2 M TON.
Skeptics argue that concentrating such a significant share in the hands of a single company could create long-term decentralization risks, despite Durov’s claims to the contrary.
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