Telegram-linked Toncoin flips Cardano to become 9th largest crypto

Toncoin (TON) flipped Cardano’s (ADA) token to become the ninth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization on April 9. Can Toncoin continue its parabolic rise?

TON becomes the ninth-largest crypto

Following a 13% daily price increase, TON rose to $6.65 as of 1:45 p.m (UTC), to become the ninth largest cryptocurrency with a $23 billion market capitalization, overtaking the ADA token’s $22 billion market cap, according to CoinMarketCap data.

The rally comes a day after TON Society developers set aside $5 million Toncoin to incentivize users to verify their identity using palm scanning technology. The project aims to enable digital identity verification for Telegram users over the next five years and will distribute one million TON to users participating in the proof-of-personhood program.

The increased interest in TON helped it outperform Cardano’s ADA. TON price has surged over 135% during the past month, while the ADA price fell 15%.

Zooming out further, TON price increased 183% year-to-date (YTD), while ADA price fell 1.30% YTD.

TON launched a $115 million community incentive program on March 20, with $38 million for token mining and user incentives, $22 million for airdrops, $15 million for The League developer ecosystem, and $40 million for liquidity pool boosts. The program aims to drive more user adoption.

In contrast with Toncoin, Cardano’s ADA saw little interest this year, as investor attention was focused on the Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other major blockchain upgrades, such as Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade.

Related: With 10 days to the halving, analysts predict $150K Bitcoin top

Can TON maintain its momentum?

Toncoin’s price action has been drastically outperforming Dogecoin. TON rose 130% dring the past month while DOGE only gained 14.8%. Year-to-date, TON is up 177%, while DOGE price is up 108%, according to TradingView.

While Dogecoin’s price action is purely based on speculation-driven demand, Toncoin’s utility within the Telegram messaging app can lead directly to its price appreciation with increasing user uptake. 

On the downside, Toncoin’s token distribution could raise concerns among retail investors. According to CoinCarp data, over 60% of Toncoin is held by the 10 largest holders, while 93% of the supply is held by the 100 richest holders.

Related: Telegram Mini Apps are ‘Trojan horse’ for mass blockchain adoption — TON investments director

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.