TON Finality at 0.6 Seconds Outpaces Bitcoin by 6,000x and Beats Ethereum, Solana and Cardano by Huge Margins

TON Leads Layer 1 Finality Race At 0.6 Seconds

The Open Network (TON) has moved to the top of Layer 1 blockchain rankings after new data showed it can now finalise transactions in around 0.6 seconds.

The figure was shared by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, placing TON well ahead of other major networks and highlighting a sharp gap in settlement speed across the industry.

According to the latest comparison data, Bitcoin requires roughly an hour to reach finality due to its six-confirmation model and 10-minute block intervals.

That puts the gap between TON and Bitcoin at around 6,000 times, effectively limiting Bitcoin’s use in real-time payment scenarios.

At the other end of the spectrum, Cardano records up to a full day for finality, while networks such as Avalanche, BNB Smart Chain, and Sui complete transactions in under two seconds.

Hedera, the XRP Ledger, and Stellar sit below five seconds, with Solana at around 13 seconds.

Ethereum takes about 13 minutes, while Litecoin and Monero require 15 to 20 minutes respectively.

Can Bitcoin Compete With Real-Time Settlement?

The data highlights how far traditional proof-of-work systems sit from newer high-throughput blockchains.

While Bitcoin remains dominant in security and adoption, its settlement speed places it outside the range of everyday payment applications where near-instant confirmation is expected.

TON’s position is more closely aligned with consumer-facing applications, where delays are increasingly seen as friction rather than a technical constraint.

Catchain 2.0 Upgrade Cuts Block Times

TON’s jump in performance follows its Catchain 2.0 upgrade, which reduced block times to around 400 milliseconds and pushed finality below one second from roughly 10 seconds previously.

The improvement has also increased overall network throughput by an estimated tenfold.

Payments on the network now settle in about one second, while decentralised applications are increasingly operating at speeds closer to traditional web services.

The shift is significant for user experience, where latency often determines whether blockchain features feel seamless or noticeable.

However, the upgrade comes with a trade-off.

TON’s annual inflation is projected to rise to around 3.6%, up from roughly 0.6%, due to higher validator rewards driven by increased block production.

Telegram Stakes 2.2 Million TON As Validator Role Expands

Alongside the performance update, Durov confirmed that Telegram now operates as the largest validator on TON, staking approximately 2.2 million TON worth about $2.9 million at the time of disclosure.

The move strengthens Telegram’s operational role within the network and was framed as a way to balance participation among large validators.

However, it has also raised governance concerns, with critics warning that Telegram’s stake could represent a significant share of total validator power.

At the same time, staking activity has increased as participants compete for yields of around 20%, reducing circulating supply and tightening liquidity in the market.

Following the announcement, Toncoin saw a notable price increase as investors reacted to Telegram’s deeper involvement.

Is Telegram’s User Base The Real Edge?

Beyond speed metrics, TON’s strongest advantage lies in distribution.

The network is embedded within Telegram’s ecosystem, which serves over a billion users globally.

Wallets, payments, and mini-apps are already accessible directly through chat interfaces, removing the need for separate onboarding steps.

This positions TON differently from competitors such as Solana or Ethereum, which rely more heavily on external application layers and developer adoption.

While those ecosystems lead in tooling and decentralisation, TON benefits from immediate consumer reach.

The combination of ultra-fast finality and built-in distribution places TON in a unique position, but long-term adoption will depend on whether real application activity can match the pace of its technical upgrades.