Ankr announces TON blockchain integration designed to help developers build apps for Telegram

Quick Take

  • Ankr will provide a “gateway for developers to build on TON blockchain.”
  • Building mini-apps and mini-games for Telegram, which utilize TON, has become increasingly popular in recent months.

Web3 infrastructure provider Ankr has integrated with The Open Network, or TON blockchain.

Ankr said Thursday that, through the integration, it will provide a "gateway for developers to build on TON blockchain, allowing them to build dApps that unlock access to Telegram’s community of 950 million users," according to a statement.

By using Ankr's API service, developers will no longer need to "deploy or maintain their own nodes to access on-chain data" and will be able to take advantage of an "instant connection to TON blockchain," according to the statement.

Recently, the number of mini-apps and mini-games deployed on Telegram has skyrocketed. Although the TON blockchain is managed separately from Telegram, the protocol has close ties to the messaging app popular with people active in the world of crypto.

"Working with Ankr highlights our commitment to providing developers with the tools to rapidly build dApps on TON and leverage Telegram's vast global reach," TON Foundation's Director of Ecosystem Development Anthony Tsivarev said in a statement.

Since Telegram launched its native crypto wallet roughly a year ago, the ecosystem has experienced unprecedented growth. Nearly 23 million new wallets have been activated in the past year, according to TonStat. At one point earlier this month, TON also boasted more than 11 million monthly active addresses, putting it on par with Ethereum.


Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Author

RT Watson is a senior reporter at The Block who covers a wide array of topics including U.S.-based companies, blockchain gaming and NFTs. Formerly covered entertainment at The Wall Street Journal, where he wrote about Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. and the creator economy while focusing primarily on technological disruption across media. Previous to that he covered corporate, economic and political news in Brazil while at Bloomberg. RT has interviewed a diverse cast of characters including CEOs, media moguls, top influencers, politicians, blue-collar workers, drug traffickers and convicted criminals. Holds a master's degree in Digital Sociology.

Editor

To contact the editor of this story:
Jason Shubnell at
[email protected]