Telegram - statistics & facts
Telegram, the third-most downloaded messenger app worldwide, has been under investigation in several countries. In France, Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in August 2024 due to his alleged responsibility for abuses like drug trafficking and organized crime on the platform. Moreover, the app faces criticism because it is reported to have been used by right-wing extremist organizations. Launched in Russia in 2013 by Nikolai and Pavel Durov who also founded VK, Telegram is now operated by Telegram FZ-LLC based in Dubai. Pavel Durov is one of the richest social media billionaires.
In 2018, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram planned to launch a blockchain platform TON (Telegram Open Network) with its own cryptocurrency, Gram, which received 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in investor funds. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) blocked it in 2019, making Telegram return money to its investors. The latest deal in March 2024 raised 330 million U.S. dollars through capital bond sales. In November 2022, Telegram allowed users to buy and sell usernames using the allegedly independent cryptocurrency Toncoin on the platform Fragment.
Despite bans in several countries and ongoing investigations, Telegram remains a popular messenger across the world, as users choose it for its end-to-end encryption and different functionalities.
Telegram and politics
Telegram has been used during protests, including in Belarus, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the United States. Countries such as China, Iran, and India restrict the app's usage. Furthermore, Telegram was temporarily banned in Brazil and Russia. Following the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian government blocked Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter in the country, after which some users moved to Telegram.How is Telegram different from other messaging apps?
Telegram positions itself as an end-to-end encrypted platform, which is why thousands of users of WhatsApp switched to it in January 2021 when WhatsApp updated its privacy policy. As a result, the market share of Telegram increased by six percentage points. Telegram users can create secret chats, send self-destructing messages, follow channels, and join groups. Furthermore, developers can launch bots, automated programs that send messages in chats. Telegram is also used as a marketplace, allowing users to collect money directly on the platform using its integrated payment bots.Telegram's monetization and funding
Telegram switched to freemium in June 2022 when it introduced paid subscriptions. Paying users received additional features, such as double the number of channels they could follow, faster download speed, and premium stickers. In February 2024, the in-app revenue of the platform, reduced by fees and taxes, exceeded six million U.S. dollars, with the largest share coming from iOS users. Telegram does not sell advertisements on the platform.In 2018, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram planned to launch a blockchain platform TON (Telegram Open Network) with its own cryptocurrency, Gram, which received 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in investor funds. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) blocked it in 2019, making Telegram return money to its investors. The latest deal in March 2024 raised 330 million U.S. dollars through capital bond sales. In November 2022, Telegram allowed users to buy and sell usernames using the allegedly independent cryptocurrency Toncoin on the platform Fragment.
Despite bans in several countries and ongoing investigations, Telegram remains a popular messenger across the world, as users choose it for its end-to-end encryption and different functionalities.
