The price of TON has surged more than 20% over the last 24 hours to now trade above $3.45 and have a $8.14 billion market capitalization after French authorities returned Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s passport.

The move restores Durov’s ability to travel freely and marks the end of a situation that had drawn concerns from privacy and free speech advocates. Durov, who co-founded Telegram, a messaging platform with nearly a billion users, has long been an outspoken advocate for privacy and secure communication.

Read more: TON Down 14% as Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France

The TON Foundation, which supports the Telegram Open Network (TON), celebrated the moment on social media. “As part of the decentralized TON community, we have stood in solidarity with Pavel, supporting his unwavering dedication to defending the right to free speech and privacy online.“

TON has also benefited from new features introduced to the Wallet app on Telegram, which include multiple assets, a yield program, an updated user interface, and more.

Read more: Telegram's Pivot to TON Payments for Ads Boosts Toncoin

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