TON plans to launch a layer-2 payment network as part of The Open Network’s 2025 roadmap.

According to an update shared by the TON Core, the layer-2 Payment Network envisioned in the original TON whitepaper is among the key targets for the first half of 2025. 

The project’s objectives include the Accelerator mainnet upgrade, which will introduce changes such as shardchain tracking optimization and the separation of validator functions. This separation will split validation into two roles: collator and validator. The collator will collect transactions and generate block candidates, while the validator will validate the blocks.

Sidechain research, support for trustless bridging between Toncoin (TON) and Bitcoin (BTC) via TON teleport and user interface improvements are also crucial milestones in the pipeline.

TON is also prioritizing greater interoperability through collaborations with Axelar, LayerZero, and Wormhole. In a recent update, Telegram announced that TON Connect will serve as the primary gateway for integrating TON with Telegram mini apps.

L2 Payment Network

The layer-2 Payment Network is a top priority for the TON Core team’s efforts to further scale the TON blockchain. The TON whitepaper outlined plans for a payment channel network, described as the “Lightning Network” of TON, which would enable instant money transfers between nodes.

The roadmap highlights TON Core’s focus on enabling instant transfers with micro-commissions and simple asset swaps. The Payment Network provides the L2 system needed to achieve these goals.

“At the moment Payment Network has reached the Beta stage: we have a working prototype, but it has not yet been fully tested and audited,” TON Core wrote. 

Future development plans include further testing of the prototype and the addition of support for extra currencies and swaps.