TON Hires Visa Veteran to Lead Global Payments Push
The TON Foundation has appointed Nikola Plecas, a former Visa executive, as its new Vice President of Payments, marking a strategic move to strengthen its global payments infrastructure and compliance framework.
Plecas will oversee partnerships involving Telegram-based apps, TON-native platforms, and fiat-to-crypto on/off ramps. His role is designed to align TON’s expanding financial capabilities with rising user demand for seamless payment experiences.
A Clear Vision for Crypto Payments on TON
“With payments becoming more central to the TON ecosystem, it made sense to bring in focused leadership,” Plecas said in a statement to The Block. “This role is about accelerating our capabilities and building a clear roadmap for the future of payments on TON.”
In the coming months, his top priorities include:
- Defining a payments strategy across the TON ecosystem
- Improving on- and off-ramp infrastructure for faster fiat-crypto conversion
- Enhancing user experience through streamlined, intuitive payment flows
Plecas emphasized the importance of identifying high-impact areas where TON can make noticeable improvements for both end users and developers.
Why This Move Matters
With Telegram-integrated apps gaining traction and TON growing in utility, the foundation is betting big on real-world payment functionality. Plecas brings deep industry experience and a clear mandate: build the rails for scalable, global crypto payments.
The new hire signals TON’s serious commitment to becoming more than just a messaging-linked blockchain—it’s positioning itself as a crypto-native payment ecosystem.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
