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    Telegram Founder Proposes to Bring Usernames and Channel Links to Market as NFTs

    Cryptory.net - CEO Telegram wants to create a marketplace where users can freely buy and sell sought-after t.me addresses.

    Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram recently proposed auctioning sought-after usernames and channel links as NFTs. The idea arose after Durov saw the success of domain name auctions organized by The Open Network (TON).

    In a message sent to a private chat, Durov suggested that Telegram could exploit technology similar to TON to launch a marketplace where users can buy and sell hot t.me addresses like @storm or @royal, etc.

    “We will create a new platform where username holders could transfer them to interested parties in protected deals – with ownership secured on the blockchain via NFT-like smart-contracts. Other elements of the Telegram ecosystem, including channels, stickers or emoji, could later also become part of this marketplace”, Pavel Durov wrote.

    The first auctions on TON DNS went live on July 30, and like the “.eth” domains of Ethereum Name Service (ENS), the “.ton” variant allows users to access decentralized applications in a simple way without having to enter a long string of characters from their wallet address.

    TON used the FunC programming language for the TON virtual machine and to launch smart contracts on the blockchain. Integrating similar technology into Telegram is quite simple because it was Durov and his team who developed TON. TON, initially called Telegram Open Network, was a digital payment platform for Telegram. However, after the platform was accused by the SEC of selling up to $1.7 billion worth of unregistered securities, Durov stepped away from TON to focus on Telegram.

    In April, TON Foundation raised $250 million for its first ecosystem fund with the venture arms of crypto exchanges Huobi and Kucoin among the investors. Last month, it went on to raise a new $90 million ecosystem fund. Later, Toncoin was integrated into the @wallet bot on Telegram, allowing users to send and receive TON within the app. Recently, the final TON was mined on June 28, signaling the transition of toncoin’s transition from a largely proof-of-work model to proof-of-stake.

    TON surged 17% right after the news was announced and is trading around $1.34 on CoinMarketCap.

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