Telegram sees over 700,000 self-custodial wallets created in 48 hours
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Pavel Durov said Telegram recorded more than 700,000 new self-custodial crypto wallets over 48 hours, with one report tying the rollout to expanded access to Gram Wallet and another saying the activation happens when users receive Gram token transfers in the app. Separate coverage also put daily creation above 329,000 or 330,000 addresses, showing a fast burst of wallet adoption across Telegram's platform.
Key claims & sources
What it means
Telegram's relationship with blockchain goes back to 2018, when it raised money for a token called Gram and a network called TON, only to settle with the SEC in 2020 and scrap the project before launch. The Open Network survived as a community-run chain, and Telegram has since folded a native Gram Wallet back into the app, with Pavel Durov's November 9 post marking the latest push to put self-custody inside the messenger itself.
Wallet creation is not something users opt into by downloading an app or writing down a seed phrase first: the wallet activates automatically the moment a Telegram user receives a Gram token transfer inside a chat. That removes the usual onboarding friction for newcomers, who end up holding private keys without ever choosing to, while developers building on The Open Network gain instant access to Telegram's user base as a distribution channel for Gram transfers.
Durov calls this a 'crypto revolution,' but a wallet that a messaging company creates for you on your behalf sits awkwardly next to the self-custody label attached to it. Genuine self-custody assumes a deliberate choice to hold one's own keys; here the choice is made by receiving a message. Whether users understand what they now control, or simply treat it as another in-app feature, is a live question Telegram has not addressed.
The number to track is the daily pace of new addresses, which hit more than 330,000 in a single day against the 48-hour total of over 700,000 wallets. A sustained run near that level would confirm Telegram is building a mass-market wallet base inside its messenger; a drop-off would suggest the spike was tied to the Gram rollout announcement rather than lasting demand for self-custody within the app.
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