Key Points
- The Wall Street Journal revealed the news, citing sources familiar with the matter.
- The $1.5 billion round is supported by new and existing backers.
- The app’s success is on the rise, as Telegram Premium just reached 15 million paid subscribers.
On May 28, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Telegram messaging app is set to raise $1.5 billion in a bond issue round, citing people who are familiar with the matter. The round is reportedly supported by new and existing investors.
The news comes amidst rising Telegram success, despite its CEO’s legal issues in France.
Telegram to Raise $1.5 Billion in Bond Issue
The publication mentioned that Telegram will price the 5-year bond at 9% yield, citing sources. The messaging app reportedly plans to use the proceeds to buy the remaining debt from the bonds it had issued in 2021, due to mature in June 2025.
Telegram reportedly bought back approximately $400 million of the bonds with cash. In March 2021, WSJ reported that the platform owed around $700 million to creditors.
Just like in the case of this previous bond issue, investors in the new round will have the option to convert their debt into shares at a discounted price if Telegram decides to go public.
Telegram Investors Include BlackRock, Citadel, and Others
The new investment round reportedly includes important names such as:
- BlackRock, the US-based asset manager
- Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment company
- Citadel hedge-fund firm
BlackRock and Mobadala are older investors in the messaging app, while Citadel is among the new interested investors in the project.
However, an IPO is reportedly off the table at the moment due to the Telegram founder’s legal issues.
Telegram Founder’s Legal Issues
WSJ highlighted that the investment round gathered traction from supporters, despite Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s legal issues in France. In 2024, the French authorities charged Durov with various crimes involving the messaging app and the refusal to cooperate.
However, Durov and Telegram have disputed French officials’ statements that he did not cooperate with criminal probes.
Currently, the Telegram founder is banned from leaving France without permission, while his investigation by the French authorities is still ongoing.
It’s still not clear how long Durov will remain in France, considering that in the regional system, preliminary charges trigger a lengthy probe by investigating magistrates who later decide whether to send the case to trial or drop the charges.
During a video from France at a conference in Oslo, which he could not attend in person, Durov stated that he and his legal team have complied with all the binding legal requests that they received, and until the present time, they still do not understand what they did wrong.
Telegram’s Success on the Rise, Despite Durov’s Legal Issues
Despite the legal issues that Durov is facing with the French authorities, the success of his messaging app, Telegram, continues to rise.
Yesterday, May 27, Durov posted on his app and X that Telegram Premium has now over 15 million paid subscribers – an important milestone. He revealed that the number has doubled in just one year.
The number has doubled in just one year.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) May 27, 2025
This kind of growth reflects people’s rising trust in Telegram, despite the scandals surrounding the app.
WSJ concluded its article by saying that for 2025, Telegram is projecting a profit of over $700 million on revenue of $2 billion. In 2024, the app generated a profit of $540 million on revenue of $1.4 billion.
Pavel Valeryevich Durov is a Russian technology entrepreneur who is best known for founding Telegram in 2013. He had been an advocate for free speech and defended Telegram in this regard, allowing all voices to speak, regardless of their political views.
Durov is also involved in charitable events; the latest one was announced via X.
On May 26, he wrote that he just sent 400,000 Euros to the Foundation for AIDS Research, saying that ending this disease in our lifetime is possible if we fund the science.
In September 2024, Durov vowed to protect Telegram’s users with new safety measures implemented on the platform, following his arrest in France, while revealing the new mission of the app.
It remains to be seen how Durov’s issues with the French authorities will evolve, but meanwhile, one thing is certain: Telegram’s success continues to rise.
