⌨️ The Weekly TON: Highlights of the week

⚫️ Last week, we covered the following events:

⚫️ The dates for the TON Gateway conference have been confirmed (May 1-2, Dubai) and ticket sales have started (let's just say, there's no rush). First, we broke the news in a short line when little was clear, and then we wrote in more detail in the "opinion" column.

⚫️ The promised transaction acceleration has reached the testnet. First, we told the news in a "just in" format, and then described how you can try it yourself.

⚫️ We wrote an angry post about the TON Connect update, after which clarifications arose from those releasing it. We will still take a closer look at the final implementation.

⚫️ We retold the Chainalysis report on what types of crypto fraud flourished in 2025.

👁 And we examined "exchange-made blockchains": why are they made, how do they differ from others and from each other?

@thedailyton

⭐️ Affluent launched a "cross-chain vault"

⚫️ We write a lot about how difficult things are in TON right now, and few dare to build something. Therefore, when projects launch something against this backdrop, we want to pay attention to it.

⚫️ Today's case: Affluent launched the Sentora Vault pool for @wallet users. The project itself offers "stablecoin yield," that is, "holding stablecoins for interest." And while this idea itself is not new, the cross-chain component here is curious.

⚫️ Sentora Vault uses Ethereum, but "under the hood." The user does not need to think about transferring funds between blockchains, bridges, fees, and the like. They can simply deposit and withdraw funds without leaving the TON ecosystem.

⚫️ The project uses RLUSD and PYUSD stablecoins, but the user does not need to worry much about this either. The token to deposit is not them, but regular USDT. Then, the mentioned stablecoins are used to generate yield, but this happens automatically.

⚫️ But here is what the user needs to take into account. Since funds are moved between blockchains, deposits and withdrawals are not instantaneous at all: such user operations are queued and then processed in a "batch" 1-2 times a week. This service is not for a "quick flip," but for long-term storage of funds.

💡Previously, other projects with the idea "let's link TON with other blockchains, their liquidity and ecosystem" have already been discussed in TON: TAC, TON Teleport, Stargate... But some of this has not yet launched, some are not widely popular. Sentora Vault is also a step in a similar direction, but somewhat different.

@thedailyton

🍌 Gateway 2026: where did the hype go?

⚫️ It has been six days since ticket sales started for the ecosystem's main conference — Gateway 2026. If we compare these first days with the same period last time, the dynamics look depressing. In 2024, the first 60 tickets were sold out literally in the first two hours, creating a sense of hype and scarcity. Now the process is moving much more sluggishly, and there are several quite obvious reasons for this.

⚫️ One reason is symbolic: the sales format itself. Many were surprised that a ticket to a crypto conference can only be bought for fiat. For previous Gateways, tickets were issued as NFTs, which could attract not only real participants but also those trying to earn on resale. An NFT ticket was not just a pass, but an asset, an item for bragging rights, and a tool for earning. The current format is just a ticket. Boring, less functional, and absolutely non-native for the blockchain environment that the conference is meant to represent.

⚫️ However, the ticket problem is half the trouble. For most potential guests, the main expenses are not the entrance ticket, but the flight, accommodation in Dubai, and related costs. In the bull market of 2024, these costs did not stop many, but today the general atmosphere in the industry forces people to "tighten their belts." For enthusiasts from the CIS, the conference dates (May 1-2) also coincide with the May holidays, which means air ticket prices are skyrocketing.

⚫️ A separate question is future sponsors. Now the cost of a package for a project is $189,000, and despite the perks included in it, only a few can afford such an amount in the current market conditions. This is a rhetorical question to which the market is already giving an answer. Many projects that shone at Gateway 2024 have either quietly ceased to exist, relocated to other ecosystems, or significantly reduced activity.

⚫️ As a result, we are observing the classic work of crowd psychology, but in reverse. Potential participants see that only a few dozen tickets have been sold in a week, and their brain makes a simple conclusion: "If no one is buying, it means the event is not worth it." The FOMO effect is not working now because there is simply no basis for it — that very initial hype. Expectations from the conference, judging by announcements, have grown, while community interest, judging by figures, has conversely fallen.

👁 Will the situation change in the run-up, or will Gateway 2026 become a symbol of general cooling towards the ecosystem? We await your thoughts and forecasts in the comments.

@thedailyton

🍌 What does the Tonkeeper sale news tell us?

⚫️ The TON community is discussing the news that Tonkeeper has been sold in its entirety to TOP. The news first appeared in an anonymous channel yesterday, and now official confirmation has been provided.

⚫️ Rumors in the ecosystem suggest that the decision to sell was forced due to the project's unprofitability. We do not have access to private financial data, so we cannot make any definitive claims. However, it raises a question: no matter how hard the wallet's creators try to develop it, if there are almost no users on the blockchain, how can it make money?

⚫️ This leads to two conclusions. We previously wrote that "projects in TON are closing, but so far they are small, not systemic ones." Based on this news, it appears that problems may have now reached the major players on a large scale, to the point where they can no longer afford to exist as they did before.

⚫️ The second conclusion is slightly more optimistic: TOP has stepped in to "pick up" the project, so unlike the small ones that closed, it will continue to operate. The ecosystem is at least not collapsing entirely: it's unlikely that by tomorrow there will be nowhere to sell NFTs or securely store funds.

💀 But in the long run, it looks like yet another (how many now?) alarming wake-up call. When a system is gradually crumbling, propping it up with sticks isn't enough — it's only a temporary measure. Much bigger changes are needed, and they are becoming increasingly urgent while there is still something left to support.

@thedailyton

👁 Evolution of crypto trends

⚫️ Every year, the crypto industry finds a new point of concentration for capital and attention. If we look at the last three years, a pattern becomes obvious: the market continues to evolve, finding new ways to attract liquidity and engage users through innovative means.

⚫️ 2024 became the year of meme tokens, where PumpFun acted as the main catalyst. The platform radically simplified the launch of tokens — anyone could create one in minutes without technical knowledge. Along with this, the general fatigue of crypto enthusiasts from new listings contributed, which, loaded with early investors, dragged the price of almost every token to the bottom. This was a trend towards maximum accessibility and virality, where success was determined not by technology, but by creativity and community strength.

⚫️ In 2025, the focus shifted to Perpetual DEXs, and here the role of catalyst was taken by Hyperliquid. The market matured for professional trading tools with leverage, but without the custodial risks of centralized exchanges. Hyperliquid offered what traders really wanted: high liquidity, low fees, and execution speed. And although the product itself launched back in 2023, it was the massive airdrop at the end of 2024 that became the spark attracting mass attention and capital to this sector, turning a niche segment into one of the main trends of the following year.

⚫️ What's up for 2026? We already covered Prediction Markets earlier, but that trend seems to keep on growing. Unlike purely speculative memes or technically complex derivatives, prediction markets offer unique value — the ability to bet on real events, from politics and sports to weather forecasts. Here, a "dev won't rug you," and a market maker won't "hunt" for your stop-loss. Yes, there are more manipulations, but such events are more understandable for ordinary retail — there are only "Yes" or "No" buttons.

⚫️ As a result, each new trend expands the boundaries of cryptocurrency application. Meme tokens brought the masses into crypto through simplicity and virality. Perp DEXs gave professional traders TradFi-level tools but with DeFi advantages. Prediction markets took crypto speculation beyond the industry itself, turning any event into a tradable asset.

💡 What's next? If we follow the logic of the cycle, then probably a project already exists that could mark the main trend of 2027. Perhaps it is only at the MVP stage, perhaps quietly gaining momentum. History shows that the next wave is not formed instantly. What are your bets, gentlemen?

@thedailyton

🚀 What were the past Gateways like?

⚫️ Some people entered the TON ecosystem during the "gift wave" in 2025. And with the Gateway announcement, it's not obvious to such people: what kind of event is this anyway? That is why today's #opinion column is nostalgic.

⚫️ The official TON Gateway conference has already been held twice, in 2023 and 2024. We attended both events, and they were very different:

⚫️ The first Gateway took place at the relatively small conference venue of the Le Meridien hotel. People from the CIS gathered there, who generally were already in the same Telegram chats. Almost everyone crossed paths in the coffee zone, and over two days, you could see all your acquaintances there without missing the talks you were interested in. Compared to the second one, it was a "close-knit gathering."

⚫️ For the second event, a larger venue was chosen (Grand Hyatt). And not in vain; on the wave of Tap-to-Earn popularity, it turned out to be full. It now took quite a bit of time to get around all the booths, and life was bustling around them. The audience became more diverse: for example, the Asian community was noticeable. In this crowd, it was difficult to meet all your acquaintances, but you could make new ones.

⚫️ At the second Gateway, it might have seemed that after such growth, the next stop is "to the Moon." But the opposite happened; the ecosystem later deflated. What is reasonable for the third event in such case?

⚫️ The organizers are using Grand Hyatt again, aiming for the scale of the second conference. But the community is not sure they would sell as many tickets as for the first one.

⚫️ It is unknown how many will be sold in the end, but such a subjective opinion suggests itself: a return to a small venue would look reasonable. This would be an honest admission that now it is again a "close-knit gathering" where familiar people will assemble. Maybe later they will still manage to fan a big flame.

🍌 But instead, it seems they are "aiming high"... and then either a small bunch of people will be stomping lonely in a large venue, or they will have to resort to desperate measures to attract participants.

@thedailyton

⌨️ The Weekly TON: Highlights of the week

⚫️ What we wrote about last week:

⚫️ We recalled old Gateway conferences (good thing we went to both, at least there is something to remember)...

⚫️ ...and looked at ticket sales for the new one. By the way, a small update to this post: ticket sales for TON were promised later after all.

⚫️ We talked about the sale of Tonkeeper and what it might mean for the entire ecosystem (the mood is not quite optimistic).

⚫️ If against the background of all this you need at least some positive news: someone is still launching something in TON! We described a new cross-chain pool from Affluent.

⚫️ And finally, we looked at general crypto trends: how have they changed in recent years?

🖊 Well, in the comments you can tell how much you lost this weekend on the fall of TON and everything else...

@thedailyton

🍌 October crash echoes

⚫️ Recently, Star Xu, CEO of OKX, published a critical tweet directed at Binance, accusing them of creating the conditions for the market crash on October 10, 2025. According to him, it was Binance's aggressive USDe yield campaigns that triggered a "leverage loop" and cascading liquidations.

⚫️ It is worth recalling the backstory of their relationship. CZ worked as CTO at OKCoin (predecessor to OKX) starting in 2014. In 2017, he left to found Binance, which overtook his former employer in volume within months and became a global leader. Some observers believe this history laid the foundation for a personal vendetta by Star Xu, which has now spilled out years later. But why more than 3 months after the events?

⚫️ The situation escalated when Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, reposted Star Xu's tweet about Binance. Shortly after, CZ unfollowed Toly on X and disabled comments on his tweets. The community instantly dubbed this an emotional breakdown, and commentators began suggesting that CZ is losing his cool after his release from prison.

⚫️ While the giants settle their scores, the community's voice reminds us of the main thing: when big exchanges fight, retail users pay. Calls for self-custody are peaking again. Some urge founders to reconcile for the industry's sake, while others enjoy the crypto-politics.

⚫️ It is worth remembering that Binance and OKX together control a huge market share, and if the conflict escalates, it could hit not only reputations but also prices. For now — keep your keys to yourself and watch the show from the sidelines.

@thedailyton

👁 Visualizing price impact

⚫️ A lot has been written about "price impact" already, but it's much better to see an interactive example than just reading about it. That's why we've created a special page for you. For beginners, we'll first recap the key points (simplifying some details), and then you can try it out for yourself.

⚫️ There is a timeless market logic: the price of an item depends on its scarcity. If everyone needs nails and they are in short supply, but everyone has plenty of coal they don't need, people will offer more and more coal for a kilogram of nails.

⚫️ On decentralized exchanges, this happens automatically. For example, imagine a DEX with a "USDT / TON" liquidity pool holding both tokens. Suppose everyone suddenly wanted to buy TON (we can dream, right?). People rush to the DEX to trade their USDT for it. With every swap, there's more USDT and less TON in the pool. The smart contract automatically adjusts the exchange rate, making the "scarce" TON more expensive.

⚫️ Furthermore, the price changes "within the trade itself." Imagine a pool with only 100 TON and 138 USDT, making the current rate 1.38 USDT per TON. Someone arrives with 1,000 USDT to buy Toncoins. You might think they have more than enough to buy them all? But that's only at the current rate — which is essentially the price of the "first" available Toncoin. The "last" one is the most valuable because it's the most scarce. The DEX accounts for this in advance and factors it into the transaction.

⚫️ This is why the actual rate of a trade depends on the pool's depth and the size of your order. If there's a million Toncoins in the pool and you only want one, you'll barely affect the balance. However, if you try to take almost everything out of the pool, you create a "shortage." In such a trade, the DEX will set a rate significantly different from the "current" one.

⚫️ This is what's known as "price impact": the effect your own trade has on the price. This is why it's often not reasonable to make large trades in pools with low liquidity: the impact might get too high for you.

👁 Now that we've explained the theory, you can see it in action. Our page features two hypothetical tokens. You can give them any names and set the "current pool amounts" (their ratio determines the "current rate"). Then, enter how much you want to exchange to see how the price shifts and how much you'll actually get.

@thedailyton

👁 Ethereum changes the game for L2

⚫️ In his tweet yesterday, Vitalik Buterin effectively announced a paradigm shift in the relationship between Ethereum and L2 solutions. What has been built for years around the "rollup-centric roadmap" has faced reality: the transition of L2s to full decentralization (Stage 2 — where the network operates autonomously) is progressing painfully slowly. Meanwhile, the mainnet itself has become cheaper, and plans to increase the gas limit in 2026 call into question the very necessity of moving all transactions outside of it.

⚫️ The old vision, where L2s are merely add-ons for expanding throughput, is no longer relevant. It turns out that Ethereum L1 is quite capable of scaling on its own, while L2 networks are either unable or unwilling to achieve full security. Some projects honestly admit they might remain at the limited control stage (Stage 1 — where the team has a "backdoor" in case of bugs). This is convenient for regulators, but it is no longer the "real Ethereum" that was promised.

⚫️ What should L2 projects do in this new reality, where simply being a "cheap version of Ether" is no longer enough? Vitalik suggests looking for value in unique features: specialized virtual machines (VMs) for complex computations, privacy, or instant transactions. Today, an L2 must be a full-fledged product. And if you are working with Ethereum assets, the lack of at least minimal security (Stage 1) turns you into just a separate network with a bridge, rather than a part of the ecosystem.

⚫️ Ethereum itself is also evolving: native ZK-proof verification will be added to the protocol. This will allow the mainnet to automatically confirm that everything in the L2 is operating honestly. In such a reality, users will no longer have to rely on the signatures of "trusted parties" — security will be baked directly into the mathematics of the code at the core protocol level.

💡 The era of "just rollups" is over. For Ethereum, the time for unique services based on a shared infrastructure is beginning.

@thedailyton

👁 Why is there no Claw in TON?

⚫️ Crypto Twitter has a new hype king — the AI agent OpenClaw. This is a personal assistant that doesn't just "chat" but actually acts: digging through your files, managing your email, and even executing transactions (all of which is actually not safe, but many have brushed it off). And while nothing is happening in TON except Telegram Gifts, Western blockchains have started a real hunt, showering developers associated with OpenClaw and AI agents in general with money and attention.

⚫️ Solana is making headlines again. The day before yesterday, they launched a hackathon with a $100,000 prize pool, where participation is open not to humans, but to AI agents. To make it easier for developers to "befriend" them with the blockchain, the team published a separate skill. This looks like an attempt to cement SOL's status as the main platform for the AI narrative as quickly as possible.

⚫️ Circle isn't lagging behind either: the next day, they announced their contest based on the Moltbook platform. The goal is simple — to teach OpenClaw to autonomously manage USDC and make payments without the participation of "meatbags". Let's add Base to the list, where the entire surge of activity around AI agents actually began. Eric Brown also launched a competition, so the process is being watched very closely in Coinbase's L2 network.

⚫️ The irony is that the lion's share of ordinary users access OpenClaw specifically through Telegram. It would seem like the ideal entry point for TON: a native audience, ready-made interfaces, and a huge demand for automation. But while the West is carving up the new market, suspicious silence reigns in Pavel Durov's ecosystem, along with a complete lack of initiative to integrate the most hyped agent of modern times.

⚫️ The Telegram team can be understood — they are likely up to their ears in developing Cocoon, their decentralized network for confidential computing. Perhaps this is a solid technological foundation for the future, but the hype is happening here and now. But what the TON Foundation's problem is, and why they are ignoring a trend that is literally "knocking" at their door, is a rhetorical question. It seems someone risks playing catch-up once again.

💡 Have you tested OpenClaw yet, or are you waiting for it to become mainstream in TON?

@thedailyton

👁 Hyperliquid’s Perfect Cycle

⚫️ Just the other day, we discussed how prediction markets are set to be the main trend of 2026. In that same post, we mentioned how Hyperliquid was the key catalyst for the Perp DEX meta in 2025. Just a couple of days later, these two storylines have converged. The recent HIP-4 announcement officially moves the project into prediction market territory by embedding "outcomes" functionality directly into the protocol's core.

⚫️ The update introduces fully-fledged event outcome contracts without leverage or liquidations. These markets will be denominated in USDH — the platform’s native stablecoin, which serves not only as a unit of account but also generates yield for the ecosystem. Unlike Polymarket, prediction markets here work seamlessly with portfolio margin and HyperEVM, allowing for maximum capital efficiency — something competitors cannot offer.

⚫️ The most interesting aspect here is the founder’s background and historical context. Jeff, the project’s founder, tried to build a prediction market called Deaux back in 2018 as part of the very first Binance Labs incubator batch. The idea didn’t take off back then: the industry simply lacked the necessary infrastructure, and liquidity was a drop in the bucket compared to today.

⚫️ Today, we are witnessing a classic "full circle" moment. Seven years later, Jeff is returning to realize his original vision, but now backed by an L1, the most liquid DEX, and a coin firmly entrenched in the top 10. When a founder resolves such a long-standing "gestalt" with all the necessary tools in hand, it looks incredibly convincing.
reaction to HIP-4 has been telling. While Bitcoin and the rest of the market are correcting, $HYPE is showing anomalous strength, rising against the general trend. Investors are likely pricing in not just the new feature, but the potential influx of fees into the coin buyback system, which is set to scale even further.

💡 Hyperliquid is serious about seizing the prediction market from current leaders by leveraging its technological advantages. The strength of $HYPE amidst a falling market confirms that the industry believes in this scenario. Do you think Hyperliquid can become the "Polymarket killer"?

@thedailyton

👁 Crafting has become available for the first two collections of Telegram gifts.

As expected, on-chain gifts cannot be combined. We assume this will become possible after the blockchain update.

@thedailyton

⌨️ The Weekly TON: Highlights of the Week

⚫️️️️️️️️ While everyone is busy crafting gifts, let's remind ourselves what else we wrote about last week:

⚫️️️️️️️️ We wondered why TON isn't reacting to the OpenClaw hype. Since that post, even more blockchains have launched their own hackathons, making the question more pressing than ever.

⚫️️️️️️️️ We explained the price impact principle in two ways at once: with a text post and a special interactive page.

⚫️️️️️️️️ We looked at news from other blockchains: we wrote about what's currently changing on Ethereum for L2s...

⚫️️️️️️️️ ...and what's happening on Hyperliquid in connection with prediction markets.

⚫️️️️️️️️ We described the new drama surrounding the old (autumn) crypto crash: how did the CEO of OKX and the founder of Binance fall out?

🖊 And we gave a short news update about gift crafting. How about you, have you tried crafting yet?

@thedailyton

👁 A clear look at impermanent loss

⚫️️️️ We're continuing our series of interactive pages explaining tricky crypto terms. Today, we'll look at the concept of "impermanent loss." In this post, we'll explain what it's all about, and on a separate page, you can experience it "in practice."

⚫️️️️ First, let's review the basics. On a DEX, funds for swaps are taken from "liquidity pools." Anyone can provide their funds to a pool and earn a share of the fees the DEX charges for swaps in that pair. That is, you can become a liquidity provider so your crypto savings don't just sit there, but generate profit.

⚫️️️️ But there's a tricky part: price changes can cause "impermanent loss," where the value of the assets in the pool is lower than if they had just been "held." If the price returns to its original level, the loss disappears (hence "impermanent"), and the collected fees may exceed it anyway. But it's worth understanding how this works.

⚫️️️️ For example, let's imagine a fictional situation. TON is worth $100 (well, one can dream). A "TON / USDT" pool contains 10 Toncoins and 1000 USDT (meaning the two amounts are equal, a 50/50 ratio). And a holder named John contributed 10% of this pool (that is, 1 Toncoin and 100 USDT). His contributed assets are worth a total of $200.

⚫️️️ Then, TON's price increases to $400 (if you're going to dream, dream big). Everyone rushes to exchange USDT for TON, and the pool automatically rebalances to the new exchange rate during swaps. Now it contains 5 TON and 2000 USDT, so it's still 50/50. John owns 10% of the pool. If he withdraws his share now, he will receive 0.5 Toncoin and 200 dollars. In total, this is now $400.

⚫️️️ In this scenario, John has generally profited. But if his 1 Toncoin and 100 dollars had "just been held" outside the pool, they would be worth $500 together. It turns out he could have earned even more, and the difference he missed out on is his "impermanent loss." TON could later return to $100, and the effect of the loss would disappear, but it could also rise even higher.

⚫️️️ In these calculations, we haven't considered John's earnings from fees at all. This depends on how many swaps people make using the pool. It turns out that profitable pools are those with as many trades as possible, and where the token prices change as little as possible.

💡 We've explained it in theory. And now on our new page, you can give a name to a fictional token, move the price sliders, and see impermanent loss "in practice." This page is simplified (it doesn't account for profits such as fees and bonuses, and the second token is pegged to USD), but it should convey the essence.

@thedailyton

👁 Pavel Durov will be a speaker at the April Token2049 conference in Dubai.

@thedailyton

🍌 The Durov paradox

⚫️️ Sometimes you come across the opinion that Pavel Durov is the most famous and almost the only major entrepreneur with CIS roots who managed to build a global product. However, if you look at the modern tech scene more broadly, it turns out that there are plenty of people from the CIS at the forefront in the West. It's just that they, unlike Pavel, have long been perceived there as "locals".

⚫️️ Let's not look far and take the crypto industry, where "our" brains have long become the foundation. Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum), Anatoly Yakovenko (Solana), Sergey Nazarov (Chainlink) — these people built their projects without being tied to local markets. They were immediately in the global English-speaking environment, accepted its rules, and became an integral part of it. For the Western community, they are "one of us", part of the common cultural and technological code.

⚫️️ Pavel, until recently, built his brainchild with a clear emphasis on the CIS and the Russian-speaking user. This was his asset, his "fortress", and his main lever of influence. While Ethereum was becoming a global standard, Telegram remained the most convenient and innovative, but on the other side of the planet. Attempts to go beyond these limits were for a long time rather nominal.

⚫️️ Now we are observing Durov's attempt to change vector and finally fully "enter" the West. However, so far this process looks extremely forced. Where the same Yakovenko or Buterin speak the same language as the global community (and we are not talking about linguistics), Pavel's methods — with his specific marketing and aura of mystery — are often perceived as alien.

⚫️️ The problem is that you cannot stew in one context for years, and then become an organic part of another at the snap of a finger. As a result, we have a paradox where less media-famous in the CIS, but absolutely "native" in the West founders successfully build the future of global finance and technology. And the most recognizable entrepreneur in his homeland is still trying to find the keys to the Western audience, but so far only encounters a wall of misunderstanding.

💀 As a result, the Telegram/TON ecosystem continues to depend on the CIS, and important announcements are accompanied by Russian-language jokes. Initiatives like Cocoon seem decentralized and global, but how can you count on its global success when right at the announcement you joke about "sosun-kakun", and the global audience won't even understand this joke?

@thedailyton

💀 Will Gateway kill the TON Foundation?

⚫️️️ For any organization, a key task is to understand its effectiveness. And while commercial companies see profit as a result, non-profits, like the TON Foundation, do not have similar KPIs. And lately, there has been a growing feeling that the foundation exists in a vacuum, detached from the community and the market. Today's subjective #opinion is about this.

⚫️️️ The upcoming Gateway promises to be a harsh reality check for the foundation and an external audit of the quality of work over the past year and a half. To recognize it as successful, only three things are needed: a report on the work, developer interest, and audience attention. But there are problems with each point. We will discuss them in order.

⚫️️️ Report on work done. 2025 was not marked by significant breakthroughs. Rather, it was a year of loud announcements and quiet cancellations. TON Memelandia, tgBTC, "Golden Visas" — these initiatives raised more questions than answers. The list of difficulties and screw-ups grew faster than the ecosystem itself.

⚫️️️ Developer interest. Currently, TON is a scorched earth for developers. Projects are frozen, teams are leaving, and it's easier to list who is NOT in the list of "dead" protocols in the TON Cemetery. It only doesn't concern projects related to Telegram Gifts, but they have a very indirect relationship to the blockchain. In such a situation, selling paid slots for projects at Gateway looks like a utopia.

⚫️️️ Audience attention. We need to attract viewers — you and me. But so far, about 150–170 tickets have been sold, and there are no drivers for growth. Even Pavel Durov's announcement would hardly save the situation, as he is already announced at Token2049, so there will be no exclusivity here.

⚫️️️ All this indicates that Gateway will be an exam that the TON Foundation could fail spectacularly. And this clash with reality could be fatal for the organization, when the structure either ceases to exist in its current form or shrinks.

🍌 But at the same time, we know that the TF is thinking about the current situation, about the steps that can still be taken, and about the opinion of the community. So you can help here — if you tell us in the comments what they could do that would make you want to go to Gateway.

@thedailyton

✈️ Builders gonna build

⚫️ While some keep “BREAKING”, let's support those who keep building.

🚀 Earlier this week, @xRocket, a popular TMA-based wallet and exchange, announced an on/off-ramp service integration into their platform. It allows users from Russia (still the vast majority of TON users) to easily buy/sell crypto without the risks that P2P deals imply. Since “TON Expansion into US market” seems to be stuck a little, this local update highly impacts the ecosystem, making it more accessible for a mass audience.

🪙 Speaking of US expansion — a famous foodie celebrity, Chef Rush, recently started his TG channel. It’s noticeable that he clearly involved in the channel himself, posting “circles” — Telegram-native video messages, mentiones Telegram on his other platform, and engages with other popular Telegram and TON creators. Tomorrow he will conduct a Twitter Space with TON folks — set a reminder to check.

⚫️ In the latest “circle” from his studio, Chef Rush appeared together with Dania Poperechny — an extremely popular Russian blogger and comedian who actually attended TON Gateway in 2024 by an invitation from the DeDust team.

⚫️ Shall we expect something interesting from the upcoming Gateway too? We doubt it, but this makes the wait even more interesting. Let’s hope they have an ace up their sleeve.

@thedailyton

👁 We previously wrote about the planned transaction acceleration. Now, Anatoly Makosov has published a detailed post about its status.

The gist of it is: of the two components, one (API/UX) has already been launched, and the other (the blockchain upgrade) is currently being tested.