Durov Suggests Telegram May Launch a Toncoin-powered Marketplace

cryptonews.com:

Pavel Durov, the mastermind behind the Telegram chat app and messaging platform, has suggested that Telegram may one day launch a blockchain technology-powered marketplace for usernames, emojis, and other app-based assets. And Durov has also praised the efforts of the TON network – a blockchain project built from the ruins of his own vision of a global stablecoin.

In a post on his own Telegram channel, Durov wrote that such a marketplace would ensure that username ownership was “secured on the blockchain” via “non-fungible token (NFT)-like smart-contracts.”

Durov explained,

"In addition to millions of catchy t.me addresses like @storm or @royal, all four-letter usernames could be made available for sale (@bank, @club, @game, @gift etc)."

He claimed that “other elements of the Telegram ecosystem, including channels, stickers, or emojis,” could “later also become part of this marketplace.”

Although he did not commit to anything and maintained a hypothetical tone throughout, Durov suggested that TON and its native toncoin (TON) token, might well prove the best choice of network and currency for such a marketplace.

Durov wrote:

“When it comes to scalability and speed, TON probably has the best technology to host such decentralized sales. Our team can write bullet-proof smart contracts for TON (since it was us who invented its smart-contract language). So we are inclined to try out TON as the underlying blockchain for our future marketplace.”

He further teased:

“Let's see if we can add a little bit of [Web3] to Telegram in the coming weeks.”

Although TON shares the same acronym as Durov’s original project – which was scuppered at the eleventh hour by American regulators back in 2020 – it no longer stands for Telegram Open Network.

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