Key Takeaways
- TON Foundation launches MemeRepublic, a 10-week, $1 million competition to reenergize the memecoin community after Memelandia’s failed rollout.
- Each week, the top-performing memecoin on the network will receive $100,000 in total support, with $50,000 in market purchases and $50,000 in liquidity, tracked through public on-chain metrics.
- The new format removes applications and KYC, allowing nearly all TON-based memecoins to participate automatically.
- Upgrades to the blockchain have cut transaction speeds to 3–5 seconds, while all fund activity and updates will be made public to ensure transparency and accountability.
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The TON Foundation has announced the launch of MemeRepublic, a $1 million initiative aimed at reviving its community-led memecoin experiment after a rocky first season under the Memelandia brand.
The new program introduces a 10-week competition on the TON blockchain, distributing $100,000 each week to the top-performing memecoin based on transparent, on-chain metrics. Each winner will receive $50,000 in market purchases and $50,000 in liquidity support, with all transactions publicly verifiable.
The initiative follows complaints from Memelandia participants over unpaid prizes, complex rules, and manipulation by repeat winners, along with infrastructure issues, including long transaction times and delayed announcements, further undermined confidence in the earlier program.
MemeRepublic aims to address those problems through a simpler, open-entry structure and technical upgrades that have cut transaction speeds to 3–5 seconds. Additionally, the competition requires no applications or KYC procedures, allowing nearly all memecoins on TON, both existing and newly launched, to compete automatically.
Ecosystem partners including STON.fi, DeDust, Dtrade, and GeckoTerminal will support trading, liquidity, and performance tracking, with all fund activity visible on-chain and updated weekly to ensure transparency.
While the foundation acknowledged that challenges may persist, it said issues will be addressed “quickly and publicly.”
TON Foundation Expands Reach With AI, Payments, and RWA Collaborations
Beyond MemeRepublic, the TON Foundation has spent recent months positioning its blockchain at the intersection of AI, finance, and cross-chain infrastructure, cementing its role as one of the fastest-growing Layer-1 ecosystems of late 2025.
In early November, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov unveiled Cocoon, a decentralized AI network built directly on the TON blockchain. The platform allows GPU owners to contribute computing power for AI inference tasks and earn rewards in TON tokens.
Telegram will serve as the first customer, using Cocoon to process confidential AI queries across its global user base, a move seen as a strong validation of TON’s scalability and privacy features.
Backed by AlphaTON Capital, Cocoon will launch with enterprise-grade GPU clusters distributed across key data centers.
Durov described the initiative as a crucial step toward protecting digital freedom and user privacy, positioning Cocoon as an alternative to centralized AI services that risk data exploitation.
The launch, expected later this month, represents the foundation’s expansion into AI through blockchain-based infrastructure.
Most recently, the Foundation joined the Blockchain Payments Consortium (BPC) alongside Solana, Polygon, and Stellar to develop standardized cross-chain payment protocols. The collaboration aims to advance interoperability and strengthen the foundation’s role in digital payments and stablecoin infrastructure.
In parallel, TON partnered with Libre Protocol to tokenize real-world assets (RWAs), launching a $500 million “Telegram Bond Fund” to bring regulated financial instruments onto the blockchain. The Foundation also announced plans for a $400 million treasury vehicle, designed to accumulate TON tokens through a publicly listed company, aiming to attract institutional capital and enhance liquidity transparency.
While the foundation’s aggressive expansion has earned praise across the industry, it hasn’t been without its share of scrutiny. Earlier this year, the Foundation drew criticism over claims that staking $100,000 in Toncoin could qualify investors for a UAE Golden Visa.
Local regulators later clarified that digital-asset investments do not grant residency rights, prompting the foundation to issue a statement explaining that the initiative was an independent community effort rather than an official government partnership. The Foundation has since taken steps to improve its communication and strengthen internal accountability.
Even with a few bumps along the way, the foundation’s path forward is taking shape. What began as a community experiment is turning into a full-scale platform that blends AI, payments, and digital finance.
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