Toncoin’s Dazzling Rise: A Tale of Bonds, Bots, and Billionaires!

Ah, Toncoin, the illustrious native token of The Open Network, has recently taken a delightful leap, soaring nearly 10% in the past 24 hours. This meteoric rise, dear reader, is not merely a stroke of luck but rather a splendid concoction of high-stakes developments involving its illustrious companion, the messaging behemoth Telegram, and a veritable explosion of trading activity. Who knew that a little gossip could lead to such financial fireworks? 🎆

As we speak, TON is trading at a charming $3.27, having flirted with a daily high of $3.69. Its 24-hour trading volume, a staggering $1.23 billion, has spiked by a jaw-dropping 641%. One can only wonder if the traders are sipping on some magic potion! 🧙‍♂️

Telegram’s Billion-Dollar Bond Move Sparks Market Excitement

What fuels this bullish fervor, you ask? A tantalizing $1.5 billion bond raise reportedly underway at Telegram, with interest from the crème de la crème of global investors, including BlackRock, Citadel, and the UAE’s Mubadala. It seems that everyone wants a piece of this digital pie! 🥧

The five-year bonds, offering a delectable 9% yield, signal a robust institutional interest in the company’s resurgence. In 2024, Telegram managed to conjure up $540 million in profit on $1.4 billion in revenue—a remarkable turnaround that would make even the most seasoned magician blush! 🎩✨

With a staggering 1 billion monthly active users as of March 2025, Telegram’s burgeoning subscription revenues and in-app services, including the integration of the TON Wallet and those viral tap-to-earn games, have rekindled a spark of optimism around the TON ecosystem. Who knew that gaming could be so profitable? 🎮💰

Musk, AI, and Mixed Signals

Adding to the delightful chaos was a high-profile, albeit not yet finalized, partnership announcement between Telegram and the ever-enigmatic Elon Musk’s xAI. Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, claimed the two had struck a $300 million, one-year deal to deploy xAI’s chatbot Grok on the platform. One can only imagine the conversations that will ensue! 🤖💬

🔥 This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market. @elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI’s @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps 🤝

💪 This also strengthens Telegram’s financial…

— Pavel Durov (@durov) May 28, 2025

However, the market, ever the fickle mistress, briefly pulled back after Musk clarified that “no deal has been signed.” “Agreed in principle, but formalities are pending,” Durov responded, leaving us all in a delightful state of suspense. Will they or won’t they? 🍿

TON’s Strategic Expansion with a Visa Veteran

In a move that could only be described as strategic genius, the TON Foundation has appointed former Visa executive Nikola Plecas as its Vice President of Payments. Plecas, renowned for his pivotal role in Visa’s crypto initiatives across Europe, will now lead TON’s payment infrastructure expansion. Talk about a power move! 💼⚡

Plecas has declared that joining TON is a chance to “shape the future of payments on a truly global scale.” His mandate includes developing a scalable, compliant, and interoperable payment architecture for Telegram’s billion-user base. No pressure, right? 😅

TON Foundation CEO Max Crown has dubbed payments a “core pillar” of the network’s roadmap, emphasizing that Plecas’s appointment is crucial for accelerating global adoption. One can only hope that this new venture will be as thrilling as a rollercoaster ride! 🎢

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2025-05-29 13:39