Telegram users created more than 700,000 self-custodial wallets in just 48 hours, according to founder Pavel Durov. The figure, shared by Durov on November 9, 2026, includes 333,188 wallet activations in a single day. The surge comes as Telegram continues its phased rollout of the Gram Wallet, a native self-custody wallet built directly into the messaging app.
How 700,000 wallets showed up so fast
The growth has a built-in accelerant. Telegram’s wallets switch on automatically when they receive Gram tokens. That mechanic turns every transfer into a potential new user. It also explains how a single day could account for 333,188 activations, close to half of the 48-hour total.
Gram is the native token of The Open Network, or TON. It was previously known as Toncoin.
For the uninitiated, “self-custodial” means the user controls the wallet directly. There’s no exchange or company holding the funds on their behalf. Lose your recovery details, and nobody at a help desk can fix it for you.
Not to be confused with the other wallet
Telegram already has a crypto wallet presence, which can make this confusing. The native Gram Wallet is separate from the @wallet mini-app and bot. That service has reported over 150 million users.
The distinction matters. The 700,000 figure refers specifically to self-custodial wallets created through the new native rollout, not activity on the existing bot.
The rollout has moved in stages. Durov announced plans for a large self-custody deployment in July 2026. A limited test with a select group of users followed in late August and early September 2026.
The latest numbers suggest the feature is now reaching a far wider audience. Telegram counts more than one billion users, and the wallet is meant to make peer-to-peer transfers simple across that network.
The fine print on the numbers
One caveat deserves attention. As of now, there has been no independent verification of on-chain activity or retention for these wallets.
Wallet creation and wallet usage are two different things. A wallet that switches on because someone received a small amount of Gram is technically a new wallet. Whether its owner ever sends, saves or spends anything is another question entirely.
So the 700,000 figure is best read as a measure of reach. It shows how quickly the feature can spread. It doesn’t yet show how sticky it is.
