The Open Network (TON) blockchain has set a new record. Over 17 million users claimed its dog-themed cryptocurrency, Dogs (DOGS). This makes it the largest meme token launch in crypto history. Despite Pavel Durov's recent legal hurdles in France and the overall buzz around Telegram, TON keeps developing. TON developers announced the milestone on Telegram. The blockchain, originally created by Telegram in 2018, is now run by independent developers. The numbers are staggering. Daily active users hit 1.1 million several times in two weeks. Single-day transactions peaked at 14.4 million. "DOGS token is now held by 4.5 million unique wallets on TON," the developers said. This puts it in a unique position as it has the most unique token holders on any chain ever, achieved in just two weeks. Only USDT on TRON and Ethereum have more holders than DOGS. That's pretty wild for a meme token. The token's inspiration? Pavel Durov's iconic dog drawing. Talk about a ruff start to a crypto project. Here's the kicker: 53 million users engaged with the DOGS Mini App. Of those, 42.2 million were eligible for the airdrop. And 17 million actually claimed their free tokens. But TON isn't stopping there. They're gearing up for even bigger launches. Catizen (CATI) and Hamster Kombat (HMSTR) are next on the list. "In September, we anticipate even larger TGEs," the team said. They're talking tens or even hundreds of millions of new users. That's no small potatoes in the crypto world. Of course, it's not all smooth sailing. The network will face "technical pressures and possibly some unforeseen issues," the developers admitted. But they're committed to tackling these challenges head-on. At the time of writing, Dogs is trading for $0.001047. It's up 2.6% in the last 24 hours, with a market cap of $541,450,195. Not too shabby for a pup.

Telegram, the messaging app, might be crypto's golden ticket. It's currently the world's third most downloaded messaging platform. And it could be the key to unlocking mainstream crypto adoption. That's according to Ruslan Fakhrutdinov, boss of X10 hybrid crypto exchange. He's pretty bullish on Telegram's potential. "Telegram is hot stuff in the crypto world right now," Fakhrutdinov told Cointelegraph. "With a billion users and cheap acquisition costs, it's a no-brainer for onboarding new crypto users." X10 has just gone live on mainnet. They're cooking up a Telegram-based Mini App for crypto trading. It's aimed at newbie retail investors. The app will mirror X10's markets. It'll use the same order book for trades. Justin Hyun, investment director at Ton Foundation, sees Telegram as a "Trojan horse" for mass blockchain adoption. He's not mincing words. Hyun reckons onboarding the next 500 million users needs simple apps with "actual usability". He's talking about blockchain-based Telegram Mini Apps. In an exclusive chat with Cointelegraph, Hyun stressed the importance of user-friendly interfaces. "Bringing 500 million people onchain by 2028 – our goal – needs use cases that hide the blockchain complexity," he said. Some Telegram Mini Apps will offer Web3 financial perks, Hyun added. It's a sweetener to attract users. The move could be a game-changer. Telegram's massive user base provides a ready-made audience for crypto services. Industry watchers are keeping tabs on this development. If successful, it could reshape the crypto landscape. The potential is enormous. But challenges remain. Regulatory hurdles and user education are key issues to address. Still, the buzz is real. Telegram's entry into the crypto space could be the shake-up the industry needs.

Telegram, the crypto-friendly messaging app, has launched an in-app browser. It supports decentralized websites. The browser works on mobile and desktop. Telegram announced this on July 31. They call these decentralized websites "TON Sites". They run on The Open Network. The move aims to make Web3 accessible to Telegram's user base. The app boasts nearly one billion monthly users. Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, commented on the launch. He said the browser lets users switch between viewing websites and messaging. It merges communication with news consumption. The company also rolled out its Mini App store. This launch was expected before July's end. Users can now send "Stars" to friends. These are units in the Mini App payment system. Mini Apps are hugely popular on Telegram. Over 500 million users interact with them monthly. That's more than half of Telegram's user base. One standout Mini App is Hamster Kombat. It's a crypto game that's only four months old. Yet it's already hit 300 million players. Users tap a hamster to earn tokens and upgrade a virtual crypto exchange. Another popular app is Catizen. It's a Web3 social entertainment platform. Durov says it's made $16 million from in-app purchases since March. About $160,000 of that has gone to rescuing stray cats. Both these apps use Toncoin, The Open Network's native cryptocurrency. Toncoin's value has shot up 467% in the past year. It's now worth $6.78. The Open Network is seeing other developments too. The TON Core team recently launched a new smart wallet standard. It promises gasless transactions. This could make crypto more accessible to newbies. Oleg Andreev, CEO of Tonkeeper, spoke about this new feature. He said it lets new users engage with TON's ecosystem without needing Toncoin first. It's a big step in bringing crypto to the masses. In a nutshell, Telegram's making waves in the crypto world. With its massive user base and new features, it could be a real game-changer. But only time will tell if this gamble pays off.

The Open Network (TON) blockchain has rolled out a new smart wallet. It's called W5. The wallet promises gasless transactions. This is a big deal in the crypto world. TON Core team worked with Tonkeeper on this project. The wallet is an upgrade to TON's existing smart contract. It's already live on Tonkeeper. Soon, it'll be on TON Space and MyTonWallet too. So, what's the fuss about? Well, users can now use Tether for gas fees when transferring USDT. They can use Notcoin for gas fees when moving Notcoin (NOT). This is pretty cool stuff. The W5 wallet was Tonkeeper's brainchild. TON Core team gave it the thumbs up. Why? It's all about making transactions smoother on the TON blockchain. Here's the kicker: users won't need to hold Toncoin for payments anymore. This could be a game-changer for newbies. It might just knock down some barriers for them. But wait, there's more. The smart wallet can handle up to 255 transactions at once. Talk about efficiency! A TON spokesperson told Cointelegraph: "We're stoked about this new feature. It's going to make life easier for our users." The crypto community is buzzing about this news. Some are calling it a "revolutionary step" in blockchain technology. Others are more cautious, waiting to see how it plays out. One crypto analyst said: "It's an interesting move. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to see how it performs in the real world." So, what's next for TON? They're keeping their cards close to their chest. But if this wallet takes off, just as many other of the Telegram's new projects, it could shake things up in the crypto world. The revolution suddenly emerges from the area, no one was expecting, i.e. from the popular messengers. Watch this space.

TON Foundation has introduced a Bitcoin bridge. It allows users to transfer BTC into the TON ecosystem. The bridge will enable the use of Bitcoin in TON's decentralized applications and lending platforms. Jack Booth, TON Foundation's marketing director, explained the security measures. He emphasized the use of trustless architecture. The bridge aims to be secure and transparent. TON's long-term vision is to become a "blockchain of blockchains". They want to integrate top Web3 services into one network. It's a pretty ambitious goal, if you ask me. Blockchain bridges aren't new. They allow token transfers between different networks. This improves interoperability. Users can access features of other blockchains with their native tokens. But bridges have a sketchy history. In 2022, the Ronin Bridge hack resulted in over $600 million in losses. It was a massive blow to the crypto community. Booth claims TON's bridge is different. They've implemented a Simplified Payment Verification Client as a smart contract. It verifies Bitcoin block states directly on TON. All key operations are handled by smart contracts. This includes transaction verification, confirmation, and token issuance. Everything is recorded on the TON Blockchain immediately after confirmation. The bridge is designed to resist private key compromises. No single party creates or holds private keys. TON's Validators generate a joint public key using Distributed Key Generation. They sign transactions with aggregated signatures using the FROST protocol. Booth says this makes the bridge "highly resistant to compromised keys or insider threats". Sounds fancy, right? Private key compromises are no joke. In the first half of 2024, they caused over $400 million in losses across 42 incidents. TON's approach aims to eliminate this risk. Will TON's Bitcoin bridge live up to its promises? Only time will tell. But it's clear they're pulling out all the stops to make it work. Let's see if they can walk the talk.