Durov Plans Non-Custodial Wallet for Telegram's Billion Users

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the messaging app will embed a native non-custodial crypto wallet into every Telegram client this summer. If the rollout reaches the platform's more than one billion users, it would be one of the largest consumer-facing blockchain integrations to date.

A non-custodial wallet leaves users in full control of their private keys and recovery phrases, with no third party holding the assets. Durov also said the wallet would offer "instant zero-fee crypto transactions," suggesting the product targets everyday payments rather than just storage. He did not disclose supported assets, the underlying blockchain, or a developer beta timeline.

The announcement revives Telegram's history with blockchain. In 2018, the company raised roughly $1.7 billion for its Telegram Open Network (TON) and the Gram token. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued Telegram in 2019, calling the token sale an unregistered securities offering. Telegram abandoned the original TON in 2020 as part of a settlement. The TON blockchain continued independently under the TON Foundation, and Telegram added select crypto features like a username auction and a limited wallet for certain regions.

Embedding a wallet directly into one of the world's largest messaging platforms could sharply reduce the friction that keeps most people outside crypto. No separate app to download, no third-party custodian to trust. The risks are equally large. A billion users suddenly holding self-custody keys would create a wave of lost funds, phishing attacks, and support demands. Telegram would need to build user education and recovery tools at a scale the industry has never seen.