Toncoin price has surged after Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main driving force behind The Open Network and become its largest validator. Durov said TON fees have dropped sixfold to near-zero levels and that the next stage will focus on technical performance. He said Telegram will lead the network’s next phase, with a new TON website, developer tools, and performance upgrades expected within two to three weeks. The announcement marks a major structural change for TON, which has grown closely around Telegram’s messaging ecosystem. Telegram has reportedly staked about 2.2 million TON, worth roughly $2.88 million, to operate as a leading validator and directly support network security. Toncoin traded around $1.42 to $1.45 today after a daily rebound of about 7.5%. The move came as broader crypto markets improved, with Bitcoin trading above $80,000 and risk appetite returning to several large-cap altcoins. Telegram Takes Direct Role in TON Telegram’s planned leadership role changes the operating structure around TON. Until now, the TON Foundation has acted as the main ecosystem coordinator. Durov’s comments suggest Telegram will now take a more direct position in product direction, validator participation, and technical delivery. The timing follows several network upgrades. Catchain 2.0 was activated on April 9, reducing block generation time from about 2.5 seconds to roughly 400 milliseconds. The upgrade supports faster confirmations and is designed to improve user experience across Telegram Mini Apps and payments. TON fees were also reduced on May 1 to a fixed base fee of about 0.00039 TON, or roughly $0.0005. The lower fee structure is intended to support micropayments, app activity and high-frequency transactions inside Telegram-based services. The network is also preparing additional roadmap items, including upgraded developer tools and a trustless Bitcoin bridge known as TON Teleport, expected later in 2026. The bridge is designed to connect Bitcoin liquidity with TON-based applications through tgBTC. TON Price Tests Key Resistance Toncoin’s price action improved after bouncing from the $1.30 to $1.35 support area. The token moved back above the 20-day simple moving average near $1.34 and pushed toward the upper Bollinger Band around $1.43 to $1.44. The current structure shows short-term bullish momentum, but the $1.47 to $1.50 area remains the key resistance zone. A confirmed close above that range could open the path toward $1.55, followed by a wider resistance area near $1.60. Support remains near $1.35. A loss of that level could weaken the latest rebound and bring the $1.26 to $1.30 region back into focus. Source: TradingView The relative strength index has risen to about 66.8, showing strong momentum but not yet extreme overbought conditions. A move above 70 would suggest the rally may become stretched in the short term. For traders, the near-term TON price prediction depends on whether buyers can hold above the Bollinger Band midline and clear $1.50. Holding above $1.35 would keep the recovery structure intact. Network Growth and Inflation Vote Draw Attention TON’s user base has continued to expand alongside Telegram’s app ecosystem. Reported holder counts have risen from 2.9 million to 32 million over the past year, while Telegram Mini Apps have become a major channel for user activity. New infrastructure has also improved app performance. Streaming API v2 allows Telegram Mini Apps to respond to on-chain events in about 30 to 100 milliseconds, making blockchain-linked services feel closer to native mobile apps. The next major governance event is the June 2026 validator vote on inflation. Catchain 2.0 increased block production speed, which raised projected annual inflation from about 0.6% to roughly 3.6%. Validators are expected to vote on reducing block rewards to stabilize issuance. Proposed changes include reducing masterchain rewards from 1.7 TON to 0.35 TON per block and main network rewards from 1 TON to 0.2 TON per block. The goal is to keep the faster network speed while limiting supply dilution. TON’s short-term outlook now depends on technical confirmation, Telegram’s delivery of promised upgrades and the validator vote. A breakout above $1.50 could support a move toward $1.55 to $1.60, while failure to hold $1.35 would place the recovery under pressure.
