TON Gateway 2024 is the second in-person conference of The Open Network community, held on November 1 – 2, 2024, in Dubai. The event brought together developers, investors, and enthusiasts of TON Ecosystem. The conference focused on discussions about the development of the blockchain and the entire Ecosystem, as well as plans for future growth.

The presentation of updated TON products.

Significant updates and products that strengthened TON's position in the world of decentralized technologies were showcased at the conference:

TON Space

An updated version of the built-in Telegram wallet was demonstrated. The key features of TON Space update include:

Users gained full control over their assets and private keys, aligning with decentralization principles and boosting security.
After the update, TON Space enabled interaction with various dApps, including decentralized exchanges and staking services, directly within Telegram.
Thanks to the integration of TON Space, Telegram has become a convenient tool for engaging with Web3, allowing users to manage their assets and access decentralized services without leaving the app.

Partnership with Tether

An expansion of the strategic partnership between Tether and The Open Network (TON) was announced. As part of this collaboration, Tether plans to launch a stablecoin pegged to the United Arab Emirates dirham (AED) on TON Blockchain.

Key aspects of the partnership:

The new AED-pegged stablecoin will be fully backed by liquid reserves held in the UAE, ensuring its stability and fostering user trust.
Hosting AEDT on TON blockchain will enable users to perform fast and secure transactions, leveraging the network's high throughput and efficiency.
The issuance of the AED-pegged stablecoin highlights TON and Tether's commitment to strengthening their presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's decentralized finance (DeFi) market, addressing the growing demand for digital assets tied to local currencies.

Integration with DeFi and GameFi

The Ecosystem of GameFi mini-applications was a key focus at TON Gateway 2024, as this niche has demonstrated its ability to attract and retain diverse user groups.

GameFi

The conference highlighted the success of mini-applications such as Catizen and Hamster Kombat, which gained a wide audience thanks to their ease of use and seamless integration with Telegram. Discussions also explored plans to introduce gamified DeFi applications that combine financial participation with entertainment elements, making blockchain interaction more engaging and accessible for users.

DeFi

TON announced collaborations with projects like Chainlink, LayerZero, Axelar, and Pyth Network to integrate essential DeFi components, including oracles and cross-chain bridges, ensuring secure and reliable asset transfers.

These initiatives aim to foster the growth of GameFi, expand TON’s capabilities, and attract new users to the Ecosystem.

Key statements

Key Speakers at the Conference

Prominent figures from The Open Network (TON) blockchain, who have made significant contributions to the development of the Ecosystem and the blockchain industry as a whole, took the stage at the conference.

Steve Yun, President of TON Foundation, presented the strategic vision for TON's future. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of integrating TON with Telegram to drive mass adoption of Web3. He highlighted that the partnership with Telegram remains a top priority, as it provides the Ecosystem with access to a vast audience. Built-in wallets and Web3 services help make cryptocurrency usage more accessible and user-friendly.
Andrey Rogozov, CEO of Telegram Open Platform (TOP), delivered a speech focused on the current state and future prospects of the collaboration between TON and Telegram. In his address, he emphasized the importance of integrating mini-applications (mini apps) into the Telegram Ecosystem, which contributes to audience growth and simplifies access to cryptocurrency services. It was noted that the number of participants at TON Gateway increased from 150 in 2023 to over 1,500 at the 2024 conference, reflecting the rapid growth and positive reception of TON Ecosystem. Rogozov also highlighted that more than 10% of users who tried mini-applications continued exploring other TON-based applications, demonstrating the Ecosystem’s appeal. Additionally, Rogozov shared plans to expand the functionality of mini-apps, including the integration of gamified DeFi elements into Telegram and enhanced monetization through in-app purchases and advertising.

Kirill Emelyanenko, a representative of TON Core, addressed the technical and organizational challenges facing the Ecosystem and proposed solutions to overcome them for scaling the network. Kirill discussed the technical challenges involved in preparing the network to serve half a billion users, emphasizing the need for optimizing network performance and resilience. He highlighted that the close integration with Telegram requires adapting TON's infrastructure to ensure seamless interaction and scalability. Updates to the SDK and other tools were also presented, aimed at simplifying the development and integration of applications within TON Ecosystem.

Alena Shmalko, the Head of Ecosystem at TON Foundation, emphasized the role of meme coins in attracting new users and highlighted TON Memelandia, launched in October 2024. She also discussed how meme coins encourage community participation and serve as an easy entry point for newcomers in cryptocurrency, as memes have become an important cultural and financial force. The focus on fun and community building illustrates TON's approach to attracting users through accessible, engaging formats.

Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, shared his vision for the future of GameFi on TON Blockchain and its potential in the gaming industry. Yat noted that TON architecture provides high throughput and low latency, which is crucial for gaming applications that require instant response times. He also emphasized the convenience and simplicity of TON SDKs for developers, making GameFi accessible to new users who may not be familiar with blockchain technology.

Alessandro Giori, Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Tether, made several key statements highlighting the company’s strengthening position in the DeFi market: Giori announced plans for Tether to launch a stablecoin, backed by the UAE dirham, on TON platform. This move aims to meet the growing demand for digital assets tied to national currencies. It was noted that since the launch of USDT on TON blockchain six months ago, the volume of USDT on TON has reached $1B, making TON the fastest blockchain to achieve this milestone. Giori shared data that approximately 160,000 transactions per day are conducted on TON Blockchain using USDT, and the total number of wallets using USDT on TON has reached 7.6M. Additionally, it was announced that the Fireblocks digital asset platform will add support for USDT on TON Blockchain. This will enable companies using Fireblocks to integrate USDT on TON into their services, further promoting the adoption of the stablecoin.

At the conference, numerous important statements were made covering various aspects of TON Ecosystem. Among the most significant were presentations emphasizing the efforts towards decentralizing the network, as well as plans to expand TON’s integration with DeFi and GameFi to attract new users and expand TON into the markets of the East and Africa.