A crypto wallet in Telegram lets you hold, send and swap coins without leaving the messenger you already use every day. Banknode works as a Telegram mini app, and the same account is also available in a regular browser. Here is how it works and how to use it safely.
What a Telegram mini app is
A mini app is a web application that opens inside Telegram. You launch it from a bot, and it appears as a full-screen window on top of your chats, with no separate download from an app store.
For you, it feels much like a native app. Under the hood, it is a web app running inside Telegram, which is why the same product can be offered both in Telegram and on the web.
Mini apps also borrow some convenience from Telegram. The wallet is always a tap away in your chat list, and on your phone you don't need to remember a separate website address.
It's worth being clear about what a mini app is not. Banknode is not a wallet built into Telegram itself, and your Telegram account is not your wallet. You sign in to Banknode with your email, and your funds belong to that Banknode account.
Banknode is a custodial wallet: Banknode holds the keys and protects funds on your behalf, so there is no seed phrase to write down. The trade-offs of this model are covered in our guide to custodial vs non-custodial wallets.
How to open Banknode in Telegram
Getting started takes a handful of steps:
- Open Telegram and search for @banknode_bot, or follow the link t.me/banknode_bot.
- Check that the username is exactly @banknode_bot before you continue.
- Start the bot and open the Banknode mini app from it.
- Enter your email address and the one-time code sent to it. No passport, selfie or proof of address is needed.
- Go to Security and turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app.
That's the whole sign-up. Because Banknode is a no-KYC wallet, there is no identity verification step. AML screening of transactions still applies, and you are responsible for following your local laws.
What you can do in the mini app
The mini app is the full wallet, not a cut-down version. In it you can:
- Store: keep 21 coins in one balance, including USDT, BTC, ETH, TON and others from the list of supported coins.
- Receive: get a separate deposit address for each network, for example USDT on TRC-20, ERC-20, BEP-20 or TON.
- Send: withdraw crypto to external addresses on supported networks, confirmed with your 2FA code.
- Swap: exchange any two of the 21 coins with a flat 0.5% fee taken from the amount you give, and see the final amount before you confirm.
For example, swapping 100 USDT comes with a 0.5 USDT fee, and swapping 1,000 USDT with a 5 USDT fee. Network fees for deposits and withdrawals are separate and depend on the network. The Banknode swap page explains the details.
Deposits work as in any wallet: choose the coin, choose the network and share the address shown for that network. The sender must use the same network you picked, or the funds may be lost.
Every incoming and outgoing transaction passes AML screening, whether you use Telegram or the browser. The rules are the same in both places.
Telegram or web app: the same account
Banknode is also available as a web app at my.banknode.co. It is the same account with the same email, so your balance, addresses and history are shared between the two.
You can switch between them at any time. Whatever you do in one, such as a deposit to a new network address or a swap, shows up in the other, because it is the same account.
This gives you flexibility. You might check your balance or make a quick swap in Telegram on your phone, then use the web app on a laptop when you want a bigger screen to double-check a long withdrawal address.
Because both use the same sign-in, the same 2FA protects both. Turning it on once in Security covers your account wherever you open it.
Your wallet is linked to your email, not to your Telegram account. Keep that email secure, because it is part of how you sign in from any device.
Safety tips for a crypto wallet in Telegram
Telegram attracts scammers precisely because so many people use it for crypto. A few rules keep you safe:
- Check the bot name: the official bot is @banknode_bot. Lookalike usernames with extra letters, underscores or different endings are not Banknode.
- Never share your email one-time code or 2FA code with anyone, including someone who claims to be support.
- Ignore direct messages offering help, "account unlocks" or giveaways. Go to the official bot or my.banknode.co yourself instead.
- Don't open wallet links from group chats or forwarded messages without checking where they lead.
- Turn on 2FA right after sign-up, and secure the email account you use for Banknode.
- Before any withdrawal, check the address and the network, since crypto transfers generally can't be reversed.
A good rule of thumb: Banknode won't need you to send coins anywhere to "verify" your wallet. Any message asking for that is a scam, however official it looks.
To try it, open @banknode_bot in Telegram or get started on the web, sign in with your email and enable 2FA before your first deposit.