This article introduces the new gift market launched by Telegram, based on the TON ecosystem, supporting NFT minting and trading, with the platform's token Stars as the medium of exchange. The platform integrates social interaction and digital assets, establishing a complete closed-loop system with real economic value.
Introduction to the Telegram Gift Market
On May 9, 2025, Telegram officially launched a gift market based on TON, which is an extension of the animated art gifts first introduced in October 2024. Users can not only send animated gifts but also mint them as NFTs and trade them publicly in the market. This transforms these gifts from mere digital toys into social assets with real economic value.
Stars Token: The Core Link of Ecological Economy
Stars, as the internal virtual currency of the TON ecosystem, has become the main medium for users to purchase and trade gifts. Users can use Stars to buy gifts for friends, sell received NFTs, and even participate in various activities on the platform, such as Telegram Bot games and NFT competitions. In this way, TON builds a complete social economic cycle through Stars, transforming digital interactions into real asset exchanges.
TON’s global expansion strategy
TON is not only a virtual economy within Telegram but also aims to promote the Web3 ecosystem globally. The TON Foundation actively engages in dialogue with U.S. regulators and plans to launch a self-custody wallet in the second quarter of 2025, enhancing compliance and user experience. Top U.S. investment firms such as Sequoia, Ribbit, and Benchmark have collectively invested over $400 million in Toncoin, demonstrating their commitment to embracing the global market. Starting in 2023, TON has initiated its expansion from the African market and is gradually advancing into the Middle East, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, implementing a comprehensive strategy that spans from user growth to compliance channels.
Summary
The TON gift market transforms the originally simple social communication behavior into asset interactions with economic value, supported by powerful Web3 technology, creating a multidimensional system covering ecology, governance, assets, and community. TON is not a single blockchain but the Web3 ecosystem closest to real applications and consumer experiences, deeply ingrained in our daily lives like the Telegram we use every day.
* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.
