Telegram users can now send each other tether (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin by market cap, within chats in the messaging app.
USDT has been added to Telegram's @wallet bot, expanding the messaging app's facility for buying and selling crypto, according to an emailed announcement shared with CoinDesk on Wednesday.
Integrating crypto payments into messaging apps like Telegram – in theory rendering sending cryptocurrency as easy as sending a text or a photograph – should be an extremely positive development for mainstream adoption.
The addition of USDT could therefore prove an important development for Telegram's crypto service.
The messaging app's cryptocurrency journey goes back some years to its development of the Open Network (TON) blockchain project. However, this development was abandoned in 2020 owing to legal battles with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
However, TON was kept alive by members of its community, calling themselves The TON Foundation, who have continued to advance the project.
Despite not being directly involved in TON, Telegram maintains an interest in the network, exemplified by building its blockchain-based auction platform Fragment atop it late last year.
Official Announcement- @wallet now fully supports USDT (TRC20), allowing you to easily buy, sell, send, and trade crypto's most popular stablecoin all on Telegram
You can now buy, swap, and make P2P trades with Tether USDT (TRC20). You can also directly send USDT to your friends with no transaction fees.
The bot's improved interface includes a new "Swap" section, allowing you to quickly trade USDT for TON and vice versa. Moreover, users still can buy crypto with a bank card or through the P2P market in the new “Buy & Sell” tab on the main page.
But please note that, at the moment, @wallet only supports USDT on the Tron network (TRC20).
Don’t forget to add @wallet to the attachments menu to take advantage of sending USDT to your friends on Telegram without paying transaction fees.
