Could Telegram Become The Next Super App?

TL;DR

• Yesterday a core developer from The Open Network (TON) said that Telegram mini-apps are about to become far more complex mainly due to the new integration with USDT.

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China’s WeChat app is insane.

It started as a mere messaging app using wifi (a la Whatsapp) and then grew to include video conferencing, games, payments, location sharing, and a ton of other features.

(Amassing a staggering 1B monthly active users in the process)!

At this point you’re probably thinking: “Is WeChat about to add crypto payments?” which is a good guess…we do tend to write about crypto in pretty much every single article we write.

But no - our point is not so much about WeChat as it is about 'Super Apps.’

Here’s what we’re on about:

You know how that Telegram (TG) game, Hamster Kombat, now has over 250M active users?

Well, turns out TG is taking an eerily similar path to that of WeChat’s (although WeChat was founded back in 2010).

Hamster Kombat is technically a ‘mini-app’ within TG. And just yesterday a core developer from The Open Network (TON) said that TG mini-apps are about to become far more complex.

This is due to two major factors:

Firstly, it’s becoming easier to develop TG mini-apps; and developers have been able to see the success of games like Hamster Kombat which leveraged the existing ecosystem of over 900M TG users.

Secondly (and this is the big one in our eyes), TON just integrated with the stablecoin, USDT - which means companies can now offer digital goods and services using crypto which is pegged to the USD.

Plus, unlike Apple which charges a 30% fee for in-app purchases, TG doesn’t charge a thing.

Cool, so, who’s ready to make a mini-app?