summary
Telegram plans to launch a mini app store and a Web3-compatible in-app browser by the end of July 2024. The platform is popular for its tap-to-win crypto games like Hamster Kombat, which attracted 239 million users in 81 days. Telegram aims to combat fraud by displaying public account registration information and allowing third-party verification. The TON blockchain, which is associated with Telegram, has seen a significant increase in the total amount locked, exceeding $760 million. Telegram has around 900 million monthly active users worldwide and ranks in the top 10 most downloaded apps.
Telegram, the popular messaging app with around 900 million monthly active users, plans to launch a mini app store and Web3-compatible in-app browser by the end of July 2024. The move comes amid a surge in blockchain-related activity on the platform, particularly tap-to-win crypto games.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced these plans on his Telegram channel. He said:
“2024 will go down in history as the year hundreds of millions of people became blockchain savvy. Telegram is proud to be at the epicenter of this social transformation.”
The platform has recently become a hub for simple crypto games powered by The Open Network (TON) blockchain, with games like Hamster Kombat, Notcoin, and Yescoin gaining huge popularity.
For example, Hamster Combat gained 239 million users in just 81 days, highlighting the potential of blockchain games to supplement players’ income.
These games have contributed to significant growth in the TON blockchain ecosystem: TON’s total value locked (TVL) has grown to over $760 million, up from $300 million in May. The network’s native token, Toncoin, has also seen a significant price increase, rising from around $2.30 at the start of the year to over $7.00.
However, the rapid growth and popularity of these games has also attracted scammers, and to combat this issue, Telegram will be implementing new security measures.
Durov announced that the app will soon be able to display the month of registration and primary country of public accounts, similar to Instagram. Additionally, organizations will be able to issue labels to channels using the mini-app, creating a decentralized marketplace for third-party verification.
The introduction of the mini app store is expected to further encourage the development of blockchain-based applications on the platform. Telegram mini apps will enable projects to deploy crypto applications directly within Telegram, making them accessible across different devices without any additional installation.
In response to growing interest in blockchain gaming on Telegram, Notcoin and Helika Gaming announced a $50 million gaming accelerator program.
