The Open Network Foundation has introduced TON Pay, a new payments software development kit (SDK) aimed at bringing everyday crypto payments into the Telegram ecosystem.
In a Monday announcement shared with Cointelegraph, TON Pay is described as a wallet-agnostic payment layer that enables merchants and Telegram Mini App developers to accept cryptocurrency directly within the messaging app, positioning Telegram as a seamless hub for blockchain-based commerce.
According to the TON Foundation, the SDK provides developers with a unified integration for Telegram Mini Apps, streamlining wallet management, settlement, and checkout processes that have traditionally added friction to crypto payments.
TON Foundation vice president of payments Nikola Plecas said the solution allows merchants to “accept payments seamlessly and natively on TON through a simple SDK integration,” noting that it supports multiple wallets and tokens, including Toncoin and Tether’s USDt.
Built with scalability in mind, TON Pay targets sub-second transaction finality and average fees below one cent. Plecas said the broader ambition is to “enable transactions for Telegram’s global audience of more than 1.1 billion monthly active users.”
By embedding payments directly into Telegram, TON Pay aims to lower common adoption barriers such as complex checkout flows, upfront gas fees, and limited merchant tooling.
TON Pay targets everyday payments inside Telegram
At launch, TON Pay will function within Telegram Mini Apps, with plans to expand to web-based environments and additional platforms in the future.
Plecas said future updates will introduce features such as subscriptions, gasless transactions, and region-specific off-ramps.
The team also plans to work with local third-party providers for custody, compliance, and fiat conversion, a strategy intended to strike a balance between decentralization and regulatory requirements.
Additional optional tools for merchants — including analytics dashboards and multiparty computation (MPC) wallets — are also under development.
TON Pay joins the “everything app” race
TON Pay’s launch comes as major tech and crypto platforms increasingly move toward integrated payment ecosystems. Elon Musk’s X has announced plans for X Money as part of a broader expansion into financial services and the push to build “everything apps” that combine messaging, commerce, and payments in a single interface.
Coinbase is taking a similar path, recently rebranding Coinbase Wallet as the Base app — positioning it as a crypto-focused everything app that blends wallet functionality with social features, payments, trading, and support for onchain mini apps running on its Base layer-2 network.
Despite this momentum, TON continues to face skepticism due to its close ties with Telegram, which has previously drawn criticism over decentralization concerns, governance opacity, and scams linked to unofficial projects.
The TON Foundation insists the network remains open and permissionless, allowing developers to build freely. Merchants using TON Pay, Plecas noted, must comply with Telegram’s “platform-specific terms and policies,” with additional requirements expected as the SDK expands beyond the messaging app.
“We’re building a system that tackles the core challenges of crypto payments,” Plecas said, citing friction, gas fees, and onboarding, “while remaining competitive with fiat-based systems.”
