Telegram Opens Its Money Wallet to More of Its 1 Billion…

Telegram expanded access to its native non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet on Friday, October 9, bringing Gram transfers and digital collectible purchases to more users of the messaging platform. The product, previously known as Gram Wallet, is now called Money, while the older Wallet service operates separately under the Walt brand.The expansion marks a significant step beyond the limited rollout announced in August. Instead of requiring users to access a separate cryptocurrency application, Telegram is making self-custodial payments available within its existing messaging interface.Gram (GRAM), formerly Toncoin, gained as much as 8.7% during Friday's trading, according to Crypto Times, although earlier reports of a sharp decline following the wallet rebranding complicate the market narrative.

Telegram Expands Money Wallet Access on October 9

Walt confirmed the wider rollout on October 9, explaining that Money had previously been available only to selected Telegram users and was now being distributed more broadly across the platform's audience of more than one billion people.The wallet's Money section appears after a user receives an incoming transfer. Once activated, users can fund it from Walt, store Gram and send the cryptocurrency through Telegram.The announcement builds on FinanceFeeds' September 1 coverage of Pavel Durov's initial Gram Wallet launch, when access was limited to a select group.The latest announcement does not establish that every Telegram account already has the feature enabled. Nor has Telegram disclosed how many people have activated Money, funded their wallets or completed transactions.The distinction matters because distributing access to a billion-user platform is different from acquiring one billion active cryptocurrency users.

Money vs Walt: Two Wallets With Different Purposes

Telegram's wallet ecosystem now separates everyday cryptocurrency transfers from broader trading and investment functionality.Money is the native non-custodial wallet focused on Gram and Telegram-related digital assets. Non-custodial means users control their cryptocurrency rather than relying on a centralized provider to hold it on their behalf.Walt is the former Wallet service, officially renamed on September 28, according to its support documentation. The rebranding preceded the October 9 Money expansion rather than occurring simultaneously.Walt retains its existing accounts, balances and deposit addresses, with no mandatory migration. Its services include custodial cryptocurrency accounts, peer-to-peer trading, perpetual futures, tokenized stocks, precious metals and yield products. It also offers a separate DeFi Account.The platform says Walt supports more than 300 assets, compared with Money's narrower focus on Gram transfers and Telegram-native purchases.Users who previously accessed Wallet through Telegram settings can continue using the renamed service through its Walt interface.

What Gram Holders Can Do and What Transfers Cost

Money allows users to store and send GRAM, the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network, and purchase Telegram gifts and collectible usernames.Walt says users can top up Money directly from their Walt accounts in a few taps, with transfers described as instant and carrying zero network fees.That fee claim specifically covers the advertised funding connection between the two services. It should not be interpreted as a guarantee that every external blockchain transfer, asset purchase or third-party transaction is free.Walt may also apply different charges to trading, conversions and other financial products.Existing Walt users do not need to transfer their balances merely because the service changed its name. Moving funds into Money is a separate decision involving a different wallet arrangement.Self-custody also introduces responsibilities for users, including safeguarding account access and recovery mechanisms. Neither the rebranding nor the wider rollout requires users to respond to unsolicited wallet-migration requests.

GRAM Gains 8.7%, but Earlier Price Reports Conflict

Crypto Times reported on October 10 that GRAM had climbed approximately 8.7% during Friday's session, rising from an intraday low near $1.35 to around $1.47 by 18:25 UTC on October 9. The token reportedly traded briefly above $1.50.Other market coverage placed GRAM as high as approximately $1.56 during the rollout-related trading period.However, Argentine publication iProUP reported a decline exceeding 6% following announcements about Gram Wallet and Walt. That article was published on September 29, ten days before the latest expansion, and referred to a price near $2.14.Those figures cannot be treated as competing measurements of the same October 9 event. The earlier price reference also does not reconcile cleanly with CoinGecko's historical GRAM data, limiting the reliability of a direct comparison.CoinGecko showed GRAM trading around $1.44 when checked on October 11, below some of the prices reported during Friday's rally.The available evidence therefore supports a temporary increase in GRAM's price around the wider wallet announcement, but does not establish that the rollout alone caused the movement or produced sustained gains.

What Durov Promised and What Remains Unclear

In July, Telegram founder Pavel Durov promised a native non-custodial Gram wallet capable of delivering instant, zero-fee cryptocurrency transactions to the messaging platform's enormous user base.As FinanceFeeds reported when Durov outlined the plan, the ambition was to make self-custody accessible without requiring users to download specialist wallet software.The October expansion brings that vision closer to broader distribution while also clarifying an earlier uncertainty: Money and Walt are designed to coexist, not simply replace one another.Still unresolved are the number of activated wallets, transaction volumes, geographic availability and the extent to which users will adopt Gram for everyday purchases.Those figures will determine whether Telegram's wallet expansion becomes a meaningful driver of GRAM demand or primarily a distribution milestone for its cryptocurrency infrastructure.