With a market capitalization of $385.30 billion, Ethereum is the world’s second-most valuable cryptocurrency. Unlike Bitcoin, it was never meant to be money. Ethereum can power multiple applications offering various functions, such as decentralized apps (dApps), smart contracts, or non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Ethereum remains one of the most influential and innovative projects within the blockchain sphere. It can be hard to imagine any other one ever surpassing it. For the past few years, a never-ending stream of opponents have attempted to do precisely that.
Each rival promises to address Ethereum’s shortcomings and offer a superior alternative. Among them, Toncoin quickly gained attention. Developed by The Open Network (TON), Toncoin allows for fast and secure transactions. It can be used for several purposes, including network security, decentralized finance (DeFi), and payment for services and applications. In the last 24 hours, the Toncoin price USD moved +1.52% to $4.939771. It’s currently trending bullish, with the 50-day moving average sloping up.
Toncoin Saw Massive Adoption In 2024, Driven By Integration With Telegram
The TON Foundation aims to empower half a billion users to manage their digital identity, data, and assets by 2028 by allowing developers to build a Web3 ecosystem in the Telegram Messenger. Telegram will exclusively support The Open Network for its Mini Apps and services. The announcement of the new initiative gave Toncoin a boost, reaching a peak market cap of over $25 billion. Given the current trajectory of the Toncoin price, which suggests sustained upward movement, it remains a strong contender for 2025. Strategic investments and timely decisions could be beneficial for those interested.
With over 900 million users, Telegram is the fourth-most used messaging app worldwide. The partnership mentioned above is an excellent opportunity for TON to be at the core of blockchain innovation, maximizing success and minimizing disruption. Sharding technology enables TON to perform a near-limitless number of concurred transactions. Wallet, which is directly integrated into the messaging service, allows for instantaneous money transfers and borderless payments with merchants. Users can now make low-cost USDT payments with just a few clicks.
Toncoin’s 2025 Roadmap Focuses On A Layer-2 Network For Instant Transfers
Toncoin relies on a novel multi-blockchain architecture. It’s made up of a master chain and up to 2^32 work chains, which can be divided into up to 2^60 shard chains that allow for the simultaneous processing of multiple transactions. At present, there are only two workchains: MasterChain and BaseChain. TON’s Virtual Machine (TVM) is built on the stack principle, which makes smart contracts easy to implement. As a matter of fact, all wallets that operate and run on The Open Network are smart contracts.
The 2025 roadmap, advanced by TON Core, is driven by ambitious goals. The main priority of the Layer-1 blockchain is to scale and process lots of transactions very quickly and effectively to meet the increasing demands. A Layer-2 solution can support activities like high-frequency trading and instant gaming. TON seeks to launch a Layer-2 payment network that promises micro-commissions, near-instant transfers, and permissionless asset swaps. It’s nearly complete but not ready yet for release.
Let’s Not Forget About The Accelerator Kernel Update On The Mainnet
The Accelerator mainnet upgrade is expected to improve the TON network’s performance and security, promising more stability, efficiency, velocity, and boundless sharding. It will bring a suite of powerful features. One example is optimistic collation, where multiple processes may collide, conflicts are rare, and processes don’t interfere with one another. By making it possible for collators to pre-generate and send blocks to validators ahead of time, the process becomes more efficient.
Retail Investors Consider Toncoin A Key Component Of Their Broader Wealth Strategy
By mid-2024, the number of Toncoin daily active users exceeded 5 million. While the exact number of Toncoin holders in 2025 is challenging to identify, it’s reasonable to expect that it will continue to grow due to the TON platform’s development and thriving ecosystem. While large holders and institutional investors are adding positions to their portfolios, savvy retail traders are turning their attention to Toncoin, which illustrates growing interest among the broader audience.
The Toncoin audience is concentrated in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Asia, and Africa, where Telegram has long maintained a strong presence. Steve Yun, president of the TON Foundation, announced Toncoin’s entry into the US markets following Donald Trump’s election victory. The Western markets cultivate a loyal and dedicated audience and have a well-developed Web3 infrastructure. Competition here is higher, though. Trump’s policies should create a welcoming environment for cryptocurrency projects like Toncoin.
The TON Ecosystem Comprises Diverse Applications, Including Defi Projects, NFT Marketplaces, And Gaming Projects
The TON ecosystem encompasses 123 coins with a total market capitalization of $32.3 billion and an average change price of -0.81%. Toncoin isn’t just a standalone cryptocurrency. It facilitates a wide range of applications, from DEXs with virtually no fees to GameFi projects. STON.fi, for instance, is a decentralized automated market maker (AMM) that combines efficiency with user-friendly features, such as cross-chain swaps, gasless transactions, and developer-friendly SDK (software developer kit).
NOTcoin works exclusively within the Telegram messaging app. It’s a play-to-earn crypto game that has captured the attention of 35 million users in the TON ecosystem. Its listing on cryptocurrency exchanges under the token ticker does NOT allow people to trade outside the game. The game features various tasks and bonuses players can collect, which gives them an advantage. Users can form teams and invite friends to play.
And lastly, there’s GetGems, which lets users engage in social interactions while taking advantage of blockchain technology. You can create, buy, and sell NFTs through smart contracts – connect your wallet and dive into the world of digital ownership. GetGems hosts some of the best NFT collections, ranging from high-art masterpieces to pixelated punks. If you’re more of an observer, there’s plenty of beauty in the marketplace to admire.
Closing Thoughts
The fight for the “Ethereum killer” title is becoming intense. Though Solana has long been seen as a leader in the race, Toncoin is causing waves and subverting its supremacy as the top Ethereum alternative.