Episode 72 of The Crypto Beat features Tim and Kelvin in conversation with Nikola Plecas, VP of Payments at TON Foundation, to break down how Telegram is evolving into a crypto payments platform.

He explains TON’s strategy around merchant tools, stablecoin payments, and reducing friction for everyday users, while highlighting key growth areas like remittances and crypto commerce.

OUTLINE
00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - TON Payments Strategy
01:21 - Merchant Tools and SDK
04:50 - Growth Opportunities
06:59 - Blockchain vs Fiat Rails
09:41 - TON vs Visa Experience
11:20 - Industry Challenges
13:04 - Institutional Adoption
18:13 - Telegram UX and Wallets
23:04 - Regulation and Market Outlook

Guest links:
Nikola Plecas - https://x.com/nikola_plecas
TON - https://x.com/ton_blockchain

Hosts:
Tim Copeland - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/timccopeland⁠⁠⁠⁠
Kelvin Sparks - https://x.com/imyoungsparks

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