The Cryptocurrency That Remains Unused 📉

Signal incorporated a cryptocurrency for five years, a fact likely unknown to most users. In April 2021, Signal introduced "Signal Payments," utilizing a currency known as MobileCoin. At the time, this integration was hailed as a breakthrough for the platform, which boasted 85 million monthly active users. However, adoption was virtually non-existent.

The MobileCoin blockchain has not received a code update since 2026. The project rebranded to Sentz in 2023. The founder of Signal resigned in 2022. Jack Dorsey advocated for Signal to discontinue the integration last year. The asset price peaked at $73 in 2021 and currently trades at $0.16. 💸

The technology itself was not the primary issue. Signal maintained MobileCoin at arm's length; the feature was opt-in and buried within settings, functioning as a peripheral payment option rather than a core infrastructure component.

Conversely, Pavel Durov is pursuing the opposite strategy this week. A mandatory TON mainnet update is scheduled for Monday. This update involves the deletion of 12,000 lines of obsolete consensus code. New cryptographic protocols now enable TON contracts to verify Ethereum signatures directly, establishing Telegram as the largest validator on its own network. 🔗

The distinction between these two narratives lies not in the technology, but in commitment. When a messaging platform adopts cryptocurrency merely as a feature, the asset fails. When a platform adopts cryptocurrency as its core, the asset thrives.

The results of these five-year trajectories are now evident.

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