【Block Beats】Recently, there has been considerable uproar regarding Telegram’s funding sources. Founder Pavel Durov personally stepped forward to clarify. He stated that despite various unreliable rumors from outside parties, Telegram’s funding sources have nothing to do with Russian capital.
So what’s the actual situation? Telegram just completed a $1.7 billion bond issuance, which didn’t include a single Russian investor. Those old bonds issued years ago? They’ve basically been paid back, and are not a problem at all. Moreover, even if there are bond holders, they are merely creditors with no say whatsoever in the company’s operational decisions—to put it simply, it’s a borrowing relationship, not a shareholder relationship.
Durov emphasized that he is Telegram’s sole shareholder, a point that is entirely indisputable.
These remarks came in response to previous reports. Some media outlets had previously disclosed that Telegram has frozen approximately $500 million in Russian bonds due to Western sanctions that prevent their movement. Now it appears that Durov is directly addressing these suspicions, laying out his financing structure and control of decision-making authority clearly and comprehensively.
Telegram創始人が資金調達騒動にコメント：独立運営、ロシア資本の関与なし
【Block Beats】Recently, there has been considerable uproar regarding Telegram’s funding sources. Founder Pavel Durov personally stepped forward to clarify. He stated that despite various unreliable rumors from outside parties, Telegram’s funding sources have nothing to do with Russian capital.
So what’s the actual situation? Telegram just completed a $1.7 billion bond issuance, which didn’t include a single Russian investor. Those old bonds issued years ago? They’ve basically been paid back, and are not a problem at all. Moreover, even if there are bond holders, they are merely creditors with no say whatsoever in the company’s operational decisions—to put it simply, it’s a borrowing relationship, not a shareholder relationship.
Durov emphasized that he is Telegram’s sole shareholder, a point that is entirely indisputable.
These remarks came in response to previous reports. Some media outlets had previously disclosed that Telegram has frozen approximately $500 million in Russian bonds due to Western sanctions that prevent their movement. Now it appears that Durov is directly addressing these suspicions, laying out his financing structure and control of decision-making authority clearly and comprehensively.