In a significant move for Web3 adoption, Coinbase Ventures invests in Toncoin, the investment arm of US-based Coinbase, has acquired Toncoin (TON), the native token of The Open Network (TON), which powers Telegram’s Web3 ecosystem. The TON Foundation announced this strategic investment on August 11, 2025. Although financial detail remain undisclosed, the development is seen as a major vote of confidence for the project.
Details of the Investment
According to Manuel Stotz, President of the TON Foundation, Coinbase Ventures purchased Toncoin directly from Telegram, bypassing secondary markets—highlighting the strategic and symbolic importance of this backing. Coinbase confirmed the investment as a long-term venture bet but did not elaborate on specifics.
Strategic Context & TON’s Funding Landscape
This move adds to TON’s growing list of major backers, which includes Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, Benchmark, Pantera Capital, Animoca Brands, and others. Earlier in the year, TON raised $28.5M in a Series A led by Ribbit at a $1B valuation. Additionally, Verb Technology (Nasdaq: VERB) secured $558M to hold Toncoin as its treasury reserve, rebranding to TON Strategy Co.
Significance for Telegram’s Web3 Strategy
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Telegram offers TON an unprecedented distribution advantage. This partnership between Coinbase and TON signals broader recognition and support from Western institutional investors, potentially accelerating TON’s adoption through Telegram’s user base.
Market Reaction & Price Outlook
Toncoin has a market capitalization amount accounting to about 8.7B in relation to the market cap and a fully diluted value of nearly 17.4B. Currently, toncoin is ranked at number 26 of the most prominent digital currencies. After the announcement by Coinbase Ventures, a bullish sentiment appeared in the trading, and several indications that showed a 200-day EMA breakout could be possible.
Broader Implications for Web3 & Institutional Investment
This trend highlights a growing pattern where VCs invest directly in native tokens over equity—aligning investor incentives with network growth. Coinbase Ventures’ move also reinforces the integration of blockchain technologies by major social platforms like Telegram. Plans for a $400M TON treasury further underscore the project’s long-term ambitions.
Conclusion
The strategic value of Toncoin is not limited to the financial investment by Coinbase Ventures, but it is also effective leverage of the company as a means of endorsement of TON process and goal of introducing crypto capability to a mass-market messaging application. With more and more institutions starting to use Toncoin, it seems that it may become a critical part of the interaction between the decentralized infrastructure and the rest of everyday life.