TON surges 65% as Telegram cuts fees to near-zero and plans top validator role

TON has jumped about 65% over several days, rising from roughly $1.36 to near $2.27 and breaking a downtrend that began around mid-2025. The move followed major Telegram-related announcements led by TON founder Pavel Durov. On May 4, Durov said TON transaction fees were reduced to almost zero, with transfers costing about 0.00039 TON (around $0.0005). He also said Telegram aims to become the primary driver of TON and its largest validator, implying a significant governance shift. These claims were reiterated via TON’s official channels. The technical changes are tied to Catchain 2.0. TON documentation cited faster performance: block times falling from ~2.5 seconds to ~400 milliseconds, and transaction finalization dropping from ~10 seconds to ~1 second (described by Durov as a “10x” speed improvement). Traders also pointed to supportive narratives, including expectations around future TON products. Some market chatter added external context such as reports of Multicoin Capital exposure to ZEC and the idea that TON supply may be concentrated in less active or shielded wallets, which can magnify volatility during rallies. For trading, the key question is whether TON can hold above the recent breakout zone near $2. Momentum remains constructive, but the earlier “buy the announcement” pattern and overbought technical risk raise the chance of a short-term pullback before lower fees translate into sustained on-chain usage. Longer term, traders are watching the centralization/regulatory sensitivity risk as Telegram’s influence grows.