Toncoin Surpasses 100 Million Unique Holders After Hamster Kombat Airdrop

The number of unique wallets holding Toncoin (TON), now ranked as the 11th-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, has exceeded 100 million, according to data from analytics firm CryptoQuant.

This impressive surge began at the start of the year when TON holders numbered just over four million. A significant factor in this growth is the increasing popularity of tap-to-earn games available on the Telegram messaging platform.

Telegram has emerged as a vibrant marketplace for various tap-to-earn games, including titles like Notcoin, Hamster Kombat, Catizen, X Empire, and Yescoin, as well as a revamped version of the classic Flappy Bird.

These games, accessible through Telegram's mini-apps, allow users to earn tokens through gameplay. Most of these tokens are built on The Open Network (TON), the underlying blockchain for the TON cryptocurrency.

The recent rise in TON holders can be directly attributed to the Hamster Kombat airdrop on Sept. 26. The game, themed around operating a crypto exchange, attracted over 300 million players, with approximately 129 million receiving the HMSTR token.

While Telegram operates independently, the TON cryptocurrency has gained traction among its user base and content creators.

Additionally, Telegram is leveraging TON to distribute ad revenue to channel owners and has introduced an off-chain currency called Stars, which is linked to the TON blockchain.