Telegram Is Becoming the Creator Economy’s New Frontier, TON President Says

TON Foundation envisions a future where creators and the unbanked benefit from direct payments and decentralized finance.

As Telegram integrates blockchain-based tools into its platform, it is rapidly transforming into a Web3 super-app, unlocking new income streams for creators and financial access for underserved communities around the world.

In a recent conversation with TheStreet Roundtable, Manny Stotz, President of the TON Foundation, explained how Telegram is reshaping the digital economy through the use of crypto payments and decentralized tools.

“We are seeing, for instance, US influencers who on their Instagram page, the first link they put is their Telegram link,” said Stotz. “You click on this, you end up with a direct chat with the artist… and now you’ve got paid messages.”

A New Monetization Model for Creators

Telegram is allowing influencers and content creators to monetize directly through exclusive content — including videos, music, and photos — sent within the app. Unlike traditional platforms that take significant cuts or limit reach, Telegram’s crypto-enabled model enables direct, peer-to-peer transactions.

“Absolutely, the creator economy is using this already for monetization,” Stotz added.

But beyond monetization, Stotz emphasized a more profound global impact: financial inclusion.

Empowering the Unbanked Through Crypto

Holding up a hyperinflated 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note as an example, Stotz highlighted the daily struggle of billions in regions where local currencies are unstable or banking access is scarce.

“There’s 3 billion people… who are unbanked or underbanked,” he said. “They don’t have the US dollar — they have the Zimbabwe dollar or something similar. And now they’ve got smartphones.”

With mobile access, individuals in emerging economies can now receive stablecoins, make secure payments, and store value in digital assets — bypassing broken or inaccessible financial systems.

“It’s a human rights issue to some extent,” Stotz argued.

For users in the West, crypto may be a speculative asset. But for many around the globe, Stotz noted, “It’s eating or not eating. It’s not nice to have — it’s kind of essential.”

The Rise of Telegram as a Web3 Super-App

With payments, messaging, digital identity, and crypto-native features all converging within Telegram, the platform is positioning itself as a global counterpart to China’s WeChat, but with decentralized infrastructure.

“People don’t really care how it works,” said TheStreet host Rob Nelson. “They care about the value and utility they get.”

Telegram, with over 1 billion users, is integrating tools from The Open Network (TON) — a decentralized blockchain originally developed by Telegram — to power this transformation. The TON Foundation now supports ongoing development of the blockchain, enabling seamless crypto payments, identity solutions, and content monetization inside the app.

As adoption accelerates, Telegram is emerging not just as a messaging app, but as a digital economy enabler — from influencers in the West to everyday users in the developing world.