Telegram takes over TON: Durov becomes largest validator, fees drop to near zero — $TON surges 36%!

Toncoin hit a four-month high of $1.80, up more than 36% in 24 hours, after Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the messaging platform would replace the TON Foundation as the ecosystem's primary driving force and become the chain's largest validator. Durov also confirmed transaction fees have fallen sixfold to near zero — roughly $0.0005 per transaction — with a fully fee-less model as the stated end goal.

The move closes a long-standing gap between Telegram's billion-scale user narrative and the TON Foundation's actual execution. As the largest validator, Telegram puts its own weight behind network security and direction, while near-zero fees unlock the consumer use cases the platform is built for: in-app tips, mini-app payments, games, and small retail transfers that are killed by even modest costs.

The rally has spread across the TON ecosystem — Notcoin gained 26%, Dogs surged…