TON Ecosystem Update – March 2025: Infra Upgrades, New Payments, and Telegram-Powered Growth

TON Maintains Momentum Amid Market Uncertainty

March 2025 was a standout month for the TON ecosystem. While the broader crypto market wavered, TON focused on long-term growth — rolling out key infrastructure upgrades and advancing across sectors like decentralized finance, payments, gaming, and social integrations within Telegram.

Here’s a recap of the month’s biggest highlights:

Pavel Durov Returns

Telegram founder Pavel Durov made headlines with his return to more active engagement around TON, renewing excitement and confidence across the community. His involvement is expected to accelerate Telegram-native experiences built directly on TON.

$400M+ in Toncoin Held by Top VCs

Institutional interest in TON is growing rapidly. Over $400 million in Toncoin is now held by leading venture capital firms, signaling strong belief in TON’s long-term potential and ecosystem scalability.

@walletAdds New Features & TON Space Integrates Telegram Stars

The @wallet Telegram bot introduced support for new currencies and improved user features, making it even easier to send, receive, and manage crypto directly within Telegram chats.

Meanwhile, TON Space, the self-custodial wallet within Telegram, now allows users to pay fees using Telegram Stars — the in-app currency used across the Telegram ecosystem.

RedotPay Enables USDt-TON Payments at 130M+ Merchants

Global payments just got a major upgrade. RedotPay now supports USDt on TON, allowing users to spend across 130 million+ merchants worldwide. This integration bridges stablecoins and real-world commerce, with TON at the center of it.

Telegram Games Surge, NFT Marketplaces Break Records

TON-powered Telegram games hit millions of monthly active users (MAU), reflecting growing demand for fun, frictionless Web3 experiences inside the app.

At the same time, TON-based NFT marketplaces saw record-breaking daily volume, showing rising traction in digital collectibles and creator economies.

Grok AI Comes to Telegram

Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot officially launched on Telegram, further blending cutting-edge AI with the messaging experience. While not a TON-native feature, its presence enhances the super app vision that TON and Telegram are building together.

The Bottom Line

From core infra progress to real-world payments and Telegram-native innovations, TON’s March 2025 update reflects a growing, maturing ecosystem that continues to execute — even in turbulent markets. As adoption builds, TON is increasingly positioning itself as the blockchain backbone of Telegram and a serious contender in the broader Web3 landscape.