Telegram achieved positive cash flow in the first quarter and expects to turn a profit this year

Telegram is actively adding new users and by the end of the year could well become a billionaire.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that the messenger ended the last quarter with a positive cash flow and the company expects to become profitable by the end of 2024. In a March interview with FT, he forecast profitability "if not in 2024, then in 2025." Durov also reiterated that Telegram currently has 900 million monthly users, adding that half of them use the messenger daily. It is worth mentioning that Telegram surpassed the 800 million monthly active users mark in July 2023. According to DataAI, Telegram is among the top 6 most downloaded applications worldwide.

In March, Telegram raised $330 million from the sale of bonds and it was reported at that time that the issuance was even "oversubscribed" due to increased demand (lower yields, smaller discount on placement). In an FT interview, Durov also said that Telegram is currently valued at $30 billion and will go public by March 2026.

Telegram has an opaque ownership structure, and a decade of losses does not prevent it from growing actively. Telegram has always attracted investors privately, so it is not known for certain who is financing the messenger, and its business model is not self-sufficient. Earlier launched advertising on Telegram did not cover the expenses, while the number of Telegram Premium subscribers exceeded 5 million users in January (the paid subscription was introduced in mid-June 2022), but Pavel Durov previously stated that to cover all premium Telegram expenses, 2.5-3% of users should purchase it - around 20 million at that time. It is also worth remembering the TON blockchain platform project, the launch of which resulted in a multimillion-dollar fine in the US and significant losses.

On March 31, Telegram launched monetization for channel owners, which is not yet available in Ukraine - meanwhile, high-ranking Ukrainian officials continue to discuss the risks and the need for legislative regulation of social networks and messengers, including Telegram.