MoonPay Co-Founder Maximilian Crown Named CEO of TON Foundation
The Open Network (TON) Foundation has appointed Maximilian Crown, co-founder of crypto payment platform MoonPay, as its new Chief Executive Officer, the organization announced on Thursday.
Crown’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the TON ecosystem, which has recently seen a decline in daily fees and transactions, according to blockchain analytics platform TonStat. The slowdown follows a spike in user activity last year, driven by the success of Telegram-based mini apps and viral games like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat.
Crown Brings Fintech Firepower to TON
“Crown brings a wealth of experience as a seasoned entrepreneur and one of the co-founders of MoonPay,” the TON Foundation said in its statement.
As MoonPay’s former CFO and COO, Crown played a critical role in building out the platform’s finance and operations infrastructure. He also helped MoonPay establish partnerships with major banks, payment providers, and regulatory agencies, elevating the company into one of the largest and most trusted names in crypto payments.
Strategic Restructuring at TON
Crown’s appointment follows the earlier selection of Manuel Stotz as president of the foundation in early 2025, signaling a broader strategic reshuffling aimed at revitalizing TON’s long-term growth.
The TON blockchain, originally designed to integrate closely with Telegram’s massive user base, is still considered one of the more promising L1 ecosystems thanks to its messaging-first approach and developer-friendly framework. However, sustaining momentum has proven challenging amid wider market volatility.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
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