TON Foundation Hires Former Visa Executive to Lead Global Payments Strategy

TON Foundation Hires Former Visa Executive to Lead Global Payments Strategy

The Open Network Foundation (TON Foundation) has appointed former Visa executive Nikola Plecas as its new Vice President of Payments, marking a major step in expanding its global payment infrastructure.

Announced on May 28, Plecas will be responsible for driving TON’s payments strategy, scaling its infrastructure to meet the needs of over 1 billion Telegram users, managing key financial partnerships, and ensuring regulatory compliance across jurisdictions.

“Joining TON Foundation represents an incredible opportunity to shape the future of payments on a truly global scale,” Plecas said in a statement.

Bringing Visa Expertise to the TON Ecosystem

Plecas brings significant experience from his tenure at Visa, where he played a key role in crypto-related product development, global commercialization, and digital currency initiatives.

During his time at Visa, Plecas streamlined on-ramp services across multiple markets, developed Visa’s digital currency engagement model for European clients, and contributed to numerous fintech and crypto issuance projects. He was also a prominent voice at industry events, representing Visa in key crypto and fintech discussions.

Source: TON

TON Foundation CEO Max Crown highlighted the importance of the new hire, stating:

“With deep industry expertise and a clear vision for scaling payment infrastructure, Nikola brings the experience and leadership we need to accelerate TON’s global growth.”

Expanding Payments Across the TON Network

Under Plecas’ leadership, TON aims to build a globally interoperable and highly scalable payments architecture capable of meeting the demands of developers, enterprises, and everyday users alike.

This strategic move aligns with TON’s broader vision of positioning itself as a leading blockchain platform deeply integrated with Telegram’s massive user base.

Recent Ecosystem Developments

On May 1, decentralized stablecoin platform Ethena partnered with TON to bring its stablecoins to Telegram’s ecosystem. This includes the deployment of USDe (USDE) and Ethena Staked USDe (sUSDe) on the TON blockchain. The staked variant, integrated as tsUSDe, enables Telegram users to access USD-denominated savings directly within the app.

Additionally, TON has been actively working with Tether, connecting the TON blockchain to the USDt ecosystem via LayerZero since February 2024.

As part of its ambitious roadmap, the TON Foundation plans to integrate with at least 100 blockchain networks, including Ethereum (ETH), Tron (TRX), and Solana (SOL), further expanding its reach and cross-chain capabilities.