TON Korea Interview: 2025 NFT/DeFi Innovation via Telegram+AI

- TON Unveils Roadmap for First Half of 2025 - Aims for Network Scalability and Integration with the Real Economy [Unblock Media] Blockchain platform TON has announced its new roadmap targeting the first half of 2025, outlining various plans for network scalability and integration with the real economy. Strengthening its commitment to high transaction processing speed and low fees, the platform aims to dominate the DeFi, NFT, and digital payment sectors. Through close collaboration with Telegram, TON expects to rapidly expand its global user base. The platform has also shown a keen interest in leveraging the crypto-friendly environment of the Korean market, drawing attention from both domestic investors and developers. Birchnut, the leader of TON Korea Hub, emphasized in an interview with Unblock that TON considers the Korean market highly important. He explained, "South Korea ranks high globally in cryptocurrency adoption, with rapid development and a sophisticated user base," adding that the synergy between Telegram and TON is optimal for maximizing effectiveness. As of 2024, the download rates of cryptocurrency trading platforms in Korea increased by 59% year-over-year, and the number of daily active users rose by 22%, indicating the fast-growing scale of the Korean crypto market. The TON Foundation operates over 10 hubs worldwide, including in the U.S. and Europe, but the potential of the Korean market is deemed significant due to high interest in cryptocurrencies and active community participation. Birchnut stated, "We continuously draw domestic investment and interest through community building and aim to link this to the global TON project." The core focus of the 2025 first-half roadmap revealed by TON includes network scalability, improved developer environments, and user expansion through diverse partnerships. Plans include upgrading the TON Virtual Machine (TVM) and enhancing the Software Development Kit (SDK) usability to foster the growth of more dApps and services on the TON blockchain. Birchnut mentioned that they are preparing an additional accelerator program, expecting the TON ecosystem to expand rapidly, and referred to the upcoming introduction of new programming languages and improved development environments aimed at developers. Moreover, by expanding the operation of the dApp onboarding platform 'TON Nest,' the platform seeks to assist project founders and developers in easily joining TON. TON's close integration with the Telegram messenger is highlighted as a key differentiator. Experiments combing Telegram's existing messaging infrastructure with TON's payment functionality, Telegram miniapp, and AI agent (bot) services are expected to accelerate. Birchnut evaluated, "Telegram is not just a social network but a hub where people work and communicate," predicting the emergence of a new digital ecosystem where AI agents participate in tasks and payments in Telegram group chats. With AI bots enabled by TON, it becomes possible for bots to open wallets, send tokens, and issue assets like NFTs or SBTs autonomously, opening a new area known as the 'AI agent economy.' To enhance the payment capabilities of digital assets, TON Foundation has collaborated with various companies, presenting payment solutions naturally linked to the economy. The Visa debit card launched via TON Hub can utilize major cryptocurrencies like USDT and operates presently for European residents with plans to expand. The foundation intends to broaden cases where TON tokens can be used in offline and online shopping by strengthening partnerships with payment companies established last year. Emphasizing the need to provide a seamless payment experience along with increased DeFi trading volumes, the foundation is determined to build a future where users can pay with cryptocurrencies and directly use on-chain assets without complicated procedures. Recent developments show that former TON Foundation CEO Steven Yun's resignation to establish a new venture capital (VC), TVM ventures, fosters a positive investment atmosphere for the TON project. With an investment fund of around $100 million, the new VC is expected to actively invest in blockchain and DeFi projects, potentially benefiting projects within the TON ecosystem. Birchnut mentioned that these upcoming opportunities would be good news for startups and dApp developers participating in the TON ecosystem. With the rising use of AI agents in Telegram, TON is being highlighted as the critical infrastructure helping AI agents perform economic activities directly, such as fund transfers and token issuance. Telegram serves as both a platform and a hub connecting AI agents with users, allowing for new business models to emerge. Direct cryptocurrency payments within Telegram are simplified without the need for separate applications or complex procedures, greatly enhancing user convenience. Features like placing food orders and paying with cryptocurrencies directly in Telegram exemplify this convenience. The TON Foundation sees a future where AI agents, working through Telegram's social-based platform, share tasks naturally with human users. Group chats become workspaces where AI agents autonomously execute contracts and facilitate interactions using blockchain wallets. TON’s scalability, payment functionalities, and Telegram integration set it apart from other blockchain projects, aiming to automate contracts, payments, and task delegation, ultimately without human intervention. The foundation of these plans is the 2025 first-half roadmap, outlining a vision to create a revolutionary ecosystem encompassing NFT, DeFi, payments, and AI, backed by proven scalability and security. This is why developers, enterprises, and investors should take note of this roadmap.