The cryptocurrency Toncoin (TON) has shown one of the strongest jumps in the market in recent months. During the first week of May 2026 alone, the price of Toncoin increased by around 70%, while between May 4 and May 6, the asset gained more than 50% in just two days. According to CoinMarketCap data, the token rose from $1.37 to $2.5, reaching its highest level since October 2025.
The main factor behind Toncoin’s growth was a series of statements made by Telegram founder Pavel Durov in his official Telegram channel.
Durov’s statements triggered Toncoin’s rally
On May 4, Pavel Durov announced that transaction fees on the TON network had decreased nearly sixfold and had become “practically zero.” At the same time, he revealed the next stage of development for the TON ecosystem: Telegram plans to take on a key role in operating the network and become one of the biggest validators* of the TON blockchain.
* A validator is a special participant in a blockchain network that verifies and confirms user transactions while also creating new blocks in the blockchain. Validators help maintain the security and stability of the network. To become a validator, participants usually need to lock a certain amount of cryptocurrency in the network. In return for their work, validators receive rewards in the form of new coins and transaction fees.
According to the entrepreneur, the transition from the TON Foundation* to closer integration with Telegram could take between 3 and 7 weeks. Investors interpreted this statement as a signal of large-scale future development for the project. After the publication of the announcement, Toncoin gained more than 34% within a single day.
* TON Foundation is an independent organization responsible for developing the TON blockchain after Telegram was forced to shut down the original Telegram Open Network (TON) project in 2020 due to a legal conflict with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). TON Foundation supports developers, develops network infrastructure, promotes the TON ecosystem, and helps implement new blockchain technologies.
The following day, Durov stated that Telegram’s participation in the network would increase TON’s level of decentralization. Against the backdrop of these comments, Toncoin continued rising and reached $2.5 on May 6 — its highest level in nearly six months.
Trading volumes also surged sharply. Within 24 hours, Toncoin turnover increased more than fivefold and temporarily exceeded $1 billion, marking one of the project’s best performances since 2024.
Why Toncoin continues to see strong demand
Another major growth driver was the high staking* yield offered by Toncoin. In May 2026, annual staking returns exceeded 20%.
* Staking is a way to earn passive income from cryptocurrency. Users temporarily lock their coins in a blockchain network to help support network operations, validate transactions, and maintain security. In return, cryptocurrency holders receive rewards — similar to interest on a bank deposit.
Staking allows Toncoin holders to lock their coins in the network and receive rewards for participating in transaction validation. The more tokens are locked in staking, the fewer Toncoin coins remain available in free circulation.
According to Durov, TON validators are actively competing with one another for higher yields, causing more Toncoin to be removed from the market. This creates a supply shortage and further pushes the price of Toncoin higher.
Analysts note that a significant portion of Toncoin is currently locked and unavailable for sale. Under such conditions, even moderate demand growth can sharply accelerate the price movement of the crypto asset.
According to Tonscan data, around 400 validators operate on the TON network, 15 of which are connected to Telegram. Approximately 1.21 billion TON — nearly a quarter of all circulating coins — is currently locked in staking.
According to TON Foundation, the TON ecosystem already includes tens of millions of active accounts and more than 120 million Toncoin holders worldwide.
Toncoin returned to the list of largest cryptocurrencies
Amid the strong rally, Toncoin’s market capitalization once again exceeded $6 billion. As a result, the asset returned to the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization according to CoinMarketCap rankings and climbed to 17th place.
After reaching a local peak, the market partially took profits, and Toncoin corrected by around 13% to approximately $2.23.
TON network performance also contributed to growth
Additional attention was drawn to the project after a study published on May 1, 2026, compared the transaction finalization speeds of major blockchains.
According to the tests, the TON network showed the best result among the 30 largest blockchains. Block finalization time* was only 0.6 seconds.
* Block finalization time refers to the time it takes for a transaction to receive irreversible confirmation on a blockchain. After finalization, the transaction record cannot be changed or canceled. The lower the finalization time, the faster the network confirms transfers and the more convenient the cryptocurrency becomes for payments and other operations.
After the publication of these results, Pavel Durov separately highlighted TON’s high performance in his Telegram channel, further increasing investor interest.
Telegram could Turn TON into an infrastructure blockchain
Some analysts believe the market is reacting not only to Durov’s statements but also to the gradual transformation of TON into Telegram’s core blockchain infrastructure.
* An NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique digital asset stored on a blockchain that verifies ownership of a specific asset. NFTs can represent images, music, videos, in-game items, collectibles, or even digital documents. Unlike ordinary cryptocurrencies, each NFT is unique and cannot be exchanged one-to-one for another NFT.
Some analysts are already comparing the Telegram and TON ecosystem to WeChat — the Chinese super-app that combines payments, mini-programs, and digital services within a single platform.
Given that Telegram’s audience already exceeds 1 billion users, such prospects make the TON blockchain and Toncoin cryptocurrency among the most discussed crypto projects of 2026.
Did the National Bank of Belarus influence Toncoin’s growth?
Another factor behind the growing interest in Toncoin may have been the decision made by the National Bank of Belarus in April 2026. The regulator added Toncoin to the list of approved cryptocurrencies for crypto banks.
The document authorized operations involving digital assets, including:
staking;
crypto-backed lending;
cryptocurrency deposits.
The list of approved cryptocurrencies also included Ethereum and Solana.
However, experts believe the main driver behind Toncoin’s growth was still Durov’s statements and expectations of deep blockchain integration with Telegram.