
Toncoin (TON) is the native token of the TON blockchain - a Layer-1 blockchain designed by Telegram. Short for The Open Network, the TON network is entirely decentralized, supports high-speed transactions, low gas fees, is environmentally friendly, and supports numerous user-friendly decentralized applications (dApps).
The TON network is a proof-of-stake blockchain with a block time of five seconds and a transaction finality of fewer than six seconds. It delivers high performance while processing simple and complex transactions on its network through sharding technology.
TON’s native crypto asset, Toncoin, is used to pay transaction fees and use decentralized services within the blockchain ecosystem. It is also used for staking and securing the network against majority attacks. The TON token also serves as the native currency in the TON ecosystem.
Telegram’s TON blockchain ecosystem also consists of the TON Wallet - a non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet that lets you securely hold and manage your cryptocurrency holdings. The Telegram community supports the open-source web-based crypto wallet.
The Open Network (TON) is a proof-of-stake blockchain, like its competitors, Ethereum and Solana. However, it has been designed for superior performance, which gives it a higher throughput and overall efficiency than its competition.
TON Coin can be used for staking to help improve the overall security of the TON blockchain while letting you earn exciting rewards for your efforts. You can also stake TON to become a validator responsible for verifying transactions on the TON blockchain and producing new blocks to add to the network.
TON’s support for sharding allows it to create as many as 260 shards per workchain. In comparison, Ethereum 2.0 will only be able to support a maximum of 26 shards when this feature rolls out later in 2023. This blockchain also supports almost instantaneous cross-shard communication, while Ethereum 2.0 will deliver slower transaction finality.
The TON network is home to various decentralized applications (dApps), such as crypto wallets, DEXs, NFT marketplaces, blockchain bridges, gaming, social networks, and more. The open-source, decentralized blockchain has been supported by its global community of crypto enthusiasts, dApp developers, designers, professionals, and end users.
Formerly known as Telegram Open Network, the anonymous network TON’s second testnet was launched in November 2019 after being founded by the Durov brothers Nikolai and Pavel. At this time, the developers minted five billion TON coins and distributed 1.45% among their team and testers.
In May 2020, the TON network faced regulatory challenges after the US SEC prohibited Telegram from issuing its cryptocurrency (formerly known as Gram) to investors. This resulted in the project being halted. The TON coins minted were locked in 20 Proof of Work Giver smart contracts for safety.
The TON mainnet launch occurred in May 2021 after most of its decentralized community voted on the decision, and The TON Foundation took over the project. The blockchain was then renamed from Telegram Open Network to The Open Network, and its native token was renamed from Gram to Toncoin. Since then, the distribution of TON coins has continued to be handled by the Proof of Work Giver smart contracts.
The TON token has a total supply of over five billion, and the annual inflation rate of the cryptocurrency holds at around 0.6% as of January 2023. More than 151 million validators help secure the network, and over 1.8 million accounts operate on the TON blockchain.
As the native token of a high-speed blockchain network, the TON cryptocurrency could be a good investment to add to your portfolio. An expansion of the TON ecosystem in the future as more developers design and deploy dApps on it could increase the use cases for the TON crypto and send its price higher.
The TON blockchain is a capable platform for launching Web3 dApps and could experience a rise in adoption as more projects launch and gain acceptance. As Web3 gains traction, cryptocurrencies related to this sector, such as Toncoin, could turn even more attractive. This sentiment could also boost the TON to USD price in the market.
In addition to a favorable outlook for Web3, the Toncoin price could experience an uptrend amid a risk-on sentiment in global financial markets. The higher risk appetite could increase investor confidence in crypto assets and increase the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum. This could boost a positive mood and raise the demand for altcoins like TON coin.
While making an accurate TON price prediction is impossible, several factors could drive volatility in the TON coin price. Let’s take a look at some of them:
As more developers build and deploy dApps on the TON network, driving up the on-chain activity on the network, users’ demand for the TON coin could increase. This could be one of the biggest drivers to increase the TON crypto price in the market.
As the open TON community proposes and introduces new features that increase the efficiency of the TON blockchain, we could see the price of TON coin climb higher. Future upgrades could make the TON ecosystem more attractive to build on, driving up developer activity on the network and increasing the demand for the TON crypto.
Market sentiment is one of the most critical factors that cause volatility in the crypto market. The TON coin price could climb higher amid a bullish sentiment or risk-on mood among global crypto investors. On the other hand, a bearish sentiment or a risk-off mood could cause weakness in the TON price.
TON is the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network. Here are its most popular applications:
As the native currency of the TON network, $TON is used to pay transaction fees when transferring payments or to execute smart contracts on the blockchain. You can also use $TON to pay for services offered by dApps running on The Open Network.
As a $TON holder, you can participate in the decentralized governance mechanism of the network. You can enjoy voting rights on proposals regarding the future upgrades and development of the TON blockchain.
As The Open Network is a PoS network, you can stake its native token TON to participate in the consensus mechanism of the blockchain. You can stake $TON on the network to become eligible for validating transactions and producing new blocks.
Trade TON coin against other crypto assets and make the most of changing market conditions in the crypto market. Buy or sell TON against other cryptocurrencies or hold it long-term if you believe in the future potential of The Open Network. Check the real-time price of TON Coin, TON live market cap, circulating supply, 24-hour trading volume, and the latest crypto news before trading Toncoin.
It is impossible to mine Toncoin as all the coins were already minted before the TON blockchain’s mainnet launch. However, as the TON network employs a PoS consensus, it is possible to stake TON and grow your holdings. Here’s a step-by-step guide on staking TON and participating in block production:
1. Visit tonvalidators.org to see a list of available staking pools. Scroll down to see featured pools, and review their profit share, validator stake, and nominator stake information.
2. Click on Show More to view the pool’s page and then the Deposit button once you have selected the pool to which you wish to stake your TON tokens.
3. Click on Add Stake. Note that you need to stake a minimum of 10,000 TON tokens.
4. Enter the number of TON coins you wish to stake in the pool and confirm the transaction.
5. Copy the wallet address, add a comment d to the transaction, and transfer your TON coins from your crypto wallet to the staking pool address.
6. Sit back, earn staking rewards, and watch your crypto holdings grow after you stake TON coin.
MetaMask is one of the most popular Web3 wallets in the crypto market, and it supports Wrapped TON Coin, an ERC-20 token version of the TON Coin. Here’s how you can add Wrapped Ton Coin to MetaMask:
Set up your MetaMask wallet by creating a new account on the app.
Visit Etherscan to check the contract address for the Wrapped TON Coin ERC-20 token. Copy the contract address from this page.
Head to Assets on your MetaMask wallet page. Select the Import Tokens link that displays at the bottom of the screen.
Paste the contract address from Etherscan and enter TON as the Token symbol. Click on the Add custom token button.
Click on Import tokens on the next page to confirm the addition of Wrapped TON Coin to your MetaMask wallet. Once done, you can use your MetaMask wallet to send or swap TON crypto.