BDAG Keynote 3 vs TON & Stellar: Reinventing Crypto Adoption & Layer 1 Scalability

BlockDAG Keynote 3 Challenges Toncoin & Stellar—Is Layer 1 Scalability Finally Solved?

Building fast isn’t the same as building smart. Toncoin used Telegram’s massive reach to scale quickly, while Stellar focused on bridging traditional finance with blockchain. Each offers real value—but both carry traces of their origins in how they handle scalability and performance.

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BlockDAG is tackling the issue differently. With a hybrid Proof-of-Work and DAG design, it’s not just speeding up blockchain—it’s removing the need for complex add-ons. With over $208 million raised in its presale and growing testnet usage, BlockDAG is showing what Layer 1 could look like when scalability is built in from the start—not added later as a fix.

Toncoin: Telegram’s Blockchain Vision Finds New Life

Toncoin (TON) started in 2018 as Telegram’s answer to scalable crypto networks. It raised about $1.7 billion through a private ICO, but Telegram withdrew in 2020 after facing pressure from the U.S. SEC. The community revived the effort, launching The Open Network officially in August 2021.

Toncoin entered the market at $0.70. As of March 26, 2026, it trades at $3.63, marking a 418% rise. Built for high throughput and fast finality, Toncoin supports smart contracts and connects directly with Telegram’s massive user base, helping drive rapid adoption.

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Thanks to its layered design and sharding model, it can handle thousands of transactions per second. Despite its early legal battles, Toncoin has evolved into a working platform with a growing ecosystem. Its journey reflects how community effort and infrastructure reuse can keep a project alive—and thriving.

Stellar: Connecting Traditional Finance & Blockchain Since 2014

Stellar (XLM) launched in 2014, founded by Jed McCaleb and Joyce Kim with a vision to make finance more inclusive. Created with support from the Stellar Development Foundation, it focuses on connecting fiat and crypto for fast, low-cost cross-border payments. The ICO priced XLM at just $0.003.

As of March 26, 2026, XLM trades at $0.482—a staggering return of over 16,000% for those who got in early. Stellar uses the Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP), a unique model that validates transactions without mining, making it energy-efficient and fast.

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Its use cases have grown through partnerships with IBM, MoneyGram, and others. With a built-in decentralized exchange and a focus on interoperability, Stellar continues to offer practical tools for users and institutions. But while its original mission remains relevant, the protocol reflects a different era of blockchain development—one that didn’t fully anticipate today’s scaling demands.

BlockDAG Builds Layer 1 for Scale—No Sequencers, No Compromises

Layer 2 was meant to fix blockchain’s speed limits—but it came with trade-offs. From centralized sequencers to off-chain processes, many “solutions” simply shift the problem around. BlockDAG isn’t adding a patch—it’s rewriting the foundation.

Its hybrid architecture combines Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) with Proof-of-Work, allowing multiple blocks to be confirmed at the same time. That means no long queues, no validators picking favorites, and no extra layers. “Instead of lining up, transactions move forward together,” said CTO Jeremy Harkness. It’s a direct, transparent model that cuts out the middle layers entirely.

This clean approach is paying off. BlockDAG’s presale has raised $208 million, with over 18.9 billion coins sold across 27 batches. At $0.0248 per coin, early buyers have already seen a 2,380% return since the first batch. But the numbers only tell part of the story.

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What really matters is that BlockDAG doesn’t rely on secondary networks or trust assumptions. Its mainnet is coming, testnet adoption is already growing, and its base-layer design is built to scale—without complexity or compromise.

Time to Move Past Old Blockchain Models?

Toncoin and Stellar were built with specific challenges in mind—Telegram’s abandoned ambitions in one case, and global finance in the other. Both have grown, but both still rely on older design choices or trade-offs in how they handle speed and decentralization.

BlockDAG starts from a different place. It doesn’t need external fixes because it’s built with throughput, transparency, and governance at its core. It’s not patching an old idea—it’s offering a new one.

As the crypto market shifts from hype to functionality, users may start asking harder questions. Who scales cleanly? Who avoids bottlenecks? Who builds systems people actually want to use?

BlockDAG’s Keynote 3 doesn’t just offer answers—it suggests it’s asking the right questions, too.