Telegram CEO Responds To Concerns, Offers Solution To Restrict Company’s TON Stake To 10%

The popular messaging platform Telegram has revealed its plans to sell its surplus holdings of The Open Network (TON) tokens at below-market prices. This move comes after concerns were raised about the potential centralization of TON supply due to ad payments being exclusively accepted in TON tokens. 

As NewsBTC reported on February 28, starting in March, channel owners will have the opportunity to receive financial compensation for their content. All transactions, including payments and withdrawals, will be handled on the TON blockchain.

Telegram’s advertising platform will be available to advertisers in nearly one hundred new countries. With this expansion, channel owners will receive 50% of the revenue generated from ads displayed on their channels.

In response to concerns about the concentration of TON tokens with this new feature, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced plans to sell the company’s surplus holdings. 

With ad payments in TON tokens potentially accounting for more than 10% of the TON supply at Telegram, Durov acknowledged the need for a solution to avoid centralization. 

Telegram aims to limit its share of TON by selling the surplus holdings to long-term investors, ensuring a “healthier distribution” and a decentralized ecosystem. The tokens sold will be subject to a lockup and vesting plan ranging from 1 to 4 years.

To ensure a streamlined process for selling TON tokens, Telegram has set up a dedicated email address where interested large investors (with investments of $1 million or more) can express their interest, aiming to maintain stability and decentralization within the TON ecosystem. 

Despite the growing concerns, the TON ecosystem is showing encouraging signs of growth, as evidenced by recent data provided by Token Terminal. Market capitalization, trading volume, fees, and revenue have all increased significantly over the past 30 days. Additionally, active users have consistently grown daily, weekly, and monthly. 

Over the past 30 days, the fully diluted market capitalization of the TON ecosystem has reached $13.83 billion, marking a significant 31.0% increase. Moreover, the token’s trading volume has seen a modest but steady 1.4% rise, reaching $1.21 billion. 

Fees generated within the ecosystem have also experienced substantial growth, with an 80.9% increase over the past 30 days, totaling $860,490. The annualized fees have also surged, reaching $10.47 million, reflecting a 45.3% growth rate.

Furthermore, revenue generated within the ecosystem has followed a similar trajectory, with a significant 80.9% increase over the past month, amounting to $430,250. The annualized revenue stands at $5.23 million, indicating a promising revenue stream for the ecosystem.

Last but not least, the TON ecosystem has seen consistent growth in its user base over different periods. Daily active users have increased by 1.5%, reaching 33.66k, while weekly active users have experienced a growth rate of 19.6%, reaching 178.62k. Monthly active users also showed a positive trend, with a growth rate of 10.3%, reaching 412.39k. 

TON is trading at $2,735, up 3% over the past 24 hours and extending its 34% rise over the past 30 days.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com