What To Know:
- The TON Foundation has launched TON Pay, a new SDK that enables Telegram Mini Apps to accept Toncoin and USDT payments directly within the app.
- TON Pay is designed as a wallet-agnostic payment layer, offering fast settlement, low fees, and simpler checkout flows for merchants and users.
- The rollout places TON in the race to build integrated “everything app” payment systems, alongside efforts by X and Coinbase.
The Open Network Foundation has introduced TON Pay, a new payments software development kit for embedding cryptocurrency transactions directly into Telegram’s growing app ecosystem. The launch positions Telegram as a potential settlement layer for the TON blockchain, with a clear focus on everyday payments rather than niche crypto use cases.
At launch, TON Pay supports Telegram Mini Apps, allowing developers and merchants to accept payments in Toncoin and USDT without forcing users to leave the messaging app. The Foundation said the SDK is designed to remove much of the complexity that has long surrounded crypto payments, especially for consumer-facing applications. Expansion to web-based use is planned at a later stage, alongside additional payment features.
TON Pay Launched For Crypto Payments on Telegram
According to the TON Foundation, TON Pay acts as a wallet-agnostic layer that handles settlement, checkout flows, and integration with multiple wallets through a single software kit. The goal is to let developers focus on building products, and payments run quietly in the background. For users, it would mean fewer steps and less friction when paying inside Telegram.
Nikola Plecas, VP of payments at the TON Foundation, said the SDK enables merchants to accept crypto “seamlessly and natively” via a straightforward integration. He added that the system supports multiple tokens, including Toncoin and Tether’s USDT, and is built to operate across different wallets without locking users into a single provider.
Plecas said that speed and cost were the focus of the design. TON Pay targets sub-second transaction times, with average fees below one cent. Telegram now reports more than 1.1 billion monthly active users, and the Foundation sees embedded payments as a way to introduce crypto to an audience that already uses the app daily.
TON Pay aims to sidestep common barriers that have slowed crypto adoption by placing payments inside Telegram. These include multi-step checkout processes, upfront gas fees, and a lack of simple merchant tools. Instead, the SDK is meant to make paying with crypto feel closer to sending a message or tapping a button inside a Mini App.
For now, TON Pay is limited to Telegram Mini Apps. The Foundation says this is an intentional choice, and the initial focus is on refining the in-app experience before expanding further. Over time, the SDK is expected to support web integrations, subscriptions, gas-free transactions, and local fiat on-ramps and off-ramps tailored to specific regions.
The Foundation also plans to work with third-party providers for custody, compliance, and fiat conversion. The approach balances decentralised infrastructure with the regulatory realities of operating consumer payment systems at scale. Optional merchant tools, including analytics dashboards and multiparty computation wallets, are also under development.
TON Pay enters a competitive landscape. Major platforms are competing to build integrated ecosystems that combine messaging, payments, and commerce. Elon Musk’s X has outlined plans for X Money, and Coinbase is repositioning its wallet into an app that blends payments, trading, and social features on its Base network.
At the same time, TON continues to face skepticism linked to its close relationship with Telegram. Critics have previously raised questions around governance, decentralisation, and scams linked to unofficial projects. The TON Foundation maintains that the network is open and permissionless, and that developers are free to build without central approval.
Merchants using TON Pay will need to abide by Telegram’s platform policies, with additional requirements expected as the SDK expands beyond Mini Apps. Plecas said the Foundation is focused on addressing practical challenges in crypto payments. This includes onboarding and fee management, and also remaining competitive with established fiat systems.
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