Pavlo Durov accelerated TON by 10 times and is preparing 6 more surprises.
The founder of Telegram, Pavlo Durov, presented a global modernization plan for the network called “Make TON Great Again” (MTONGA). The first phase is already completed: thanks to the transition to a new consensus algorithm, the blockchain has accelerated by 10 times, enabling instant transactions. Pavlo Durov officially launched a new era of development for The Open Network (TON), announcing a roadmap with 7 key stages. The name of the strategy — MTONGA (Make TON Great Again) — is an ironic reference to a well-known political slogan, but the technical indicators of the upgrade look quite serious. “The TON blockchain has just been upgraded and is now 10 times faster. The block creation speed has increased by 6 times. Transactions now occur instantly, in less than a second. This was step 1 of 7 on the way to Make TON Great Again (MTONGA). The next step: reduce the already low transaction fees by 6 times,” announced Durov on his own network. Key metrics after the upgrade:
The frequency of block generation has increased sixfold (new blocks appear approximately every 400 milliseconds).
Transaction speed is now characterized as “subsecond” — meaning processing happens instantly, in less than one second.
The technological foundation for such a leap was the launch of Catchain 2.0. This is an enhanced consensus protocol that radically changes the mechanics of validator interaction. If previously, transaction confirmation took about 10 seconds, now the network is capable of processing data almost in real time, which is critically important for an ecosystem with a billion users.
Step #2: Radical reduction of fees
Durov named the next step as reducing transaction costs. It is already on the way. Despite the fact that fees in TON are already considered among the lowest in the market, they plan to cut them by another 6 times. This is expected to make micropayments within Telegram practically free and stimulate widespread use of stablecoins and internal tokens.
Whales are accumulating assets: data from Santiment
While the network is being technically updated, major players (so-called “whales”) are showing confidence in the future of the asset. According to data from the analytical platform Santiment, the 100 largest addresses on the TON network have cumulatively accumulated 189,730 TON over the last three months. Interestingly, the accumulation occurred against the backdrop of overall market volatility.
Experts note that such behavior from top holders often precedes significant price movements, as large capital attempts to “enter” the asset before implementing large-scale fundamental updates, such as MTONGA.
Staking in Telegram Wallet: 20% APY for all
Alongside the technical updates from Durov, the Telegram Wallet team (@wallet) has introduced its own update, which may become a powerful driver for attracting new users. Staking TON is now available in the wallet with impressive yields — about 20% APY (annual).
Key terms of the offer:
No thresholds: any amount of coins can be staked — from a few units to large sums.
Availability: the feature is integrated directly into the messenger interface, removing the complexity barrier for average users.
Limitation: the service administration does not specify how long such a high rate will last.
Typically, such promotional rates are used to quickly attract liquidity at the launch of an updated product. The combination of a technological breakthrough (speed 10x), institutional interest (whale accumulation), and aggressive marketing through staking creates conditions for transforming TON into a full-fledged financial infrastructure within Telegram.