Telegram Achieves Profitability in One Year... Revenue Quadruples Annually

# Telegram Achieves Profitability in Just One Year, Exceeding Revenue Projections Telegram, the widely-used messaging app, has achieved profitability just a year after facing substantial losses. Reported by Cryptopolitan on October 22, Telegram posted a net profit of $540 million in 2024, which is approximately KRW 746.8 billion. The company’s annual revenue soared to $1.4 billion (around KRW 1.9362 trillion), surpassing its 2023 revenue of $342.5 million (about KRW 473.7 billion) by over four times. This represents a significant recovery from its 2023 net loss of $173 million (around KRW 239.3 billion). # Revenue Boosted by Premium Subscriptions, Advertising, and Blockchain Integration Telegram credits its financial achievements to a surge in premium subscriptions, increased advertising revenue, and business growth associated with its proprietary cryptocurrency, Toncoin(TON). The number of Telegram Premium subscribers surpassed 12 million, a threefold rise from the previous year. The company has been aggressively monetizing its platform through premium subscriptions and advertisements since 2021. According to Cryptopolitan, Telegram underscored these robust earnings as it prepares to issue $1.5 billion (approximately KRW 2.0745 trillion) in bonds. These bonds offer investors the option to purchase Telegram shares at a 20% discount upon the company’s anticipated initial public offering (IPO). # Ambitious Financial Projections and Legal Issues Telegram has set ambitious targets for 2025, aiming for $2 billion (around KRW 2.766 trillion) in revenue and $720 million (approximately KRW 995.8 billion) in net profits. However, the company faces legal challenges. Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, is reportedly under scrutiny in several countries, including France, for allegedly failing to prevent crimes such as child abuse and terrorism on the platform. These legal issues might affect Telegram’s IPO timeline and plans. # AI Integration with Elon Musk’s xAI In a notable development, Telegram has partnered with xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence firm, integrating xAI’s chatbot, Grok, into Telegram. Both companies plan to promote Grok within the platform and share revenue from the integration. This marks Grok’s debut on a social media platform other than X (formerly Twitter), aligning with Telegram’s strategy to diversify its service offerings and revenue sources. # Expanding User Base and Global Reach Telegram's monthly active users have reached about 950 million, with expectations to surpass 1 billion users by 2025. The platform continues to experience rapid growth in regions including Asia and Europe, driven by features like strong encryption, anonymity, and large-file sharing capabilities. With these strong features, Telegram is poised to continue its rapid growth, further cementing its position as a leading global messaging app.