Popular messaging app Telegram secured a massive $1.5 billion in funding via a bond issue with backers such as BlackRock and Mubadla. The timing of this funding is interesting and comes when founder and CEO Pavel Durov shared the big news that he would be in his hometown Dubai, ending months-long French lockdown. Durov also teased that a “good news” in coming ahead.
Telegram is poised to secure at least $1.5 billion through a bond issuance on Wednesday. As per the WSJ report, both new and existing investors will participate in the funding, according to sources familiar with the matter. Among the investors are the company’s existing bondholders like asset manager BlackRock, along with Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment company, Mubadala.
The five-year bonds are expected to be priced with a 9% yield. The report further adds that proceeds from the issuance will be utilized to repurchase the remaining debt from Telegram’s 2021 bond issuance, set to mature in March 2024. The company has already redeemed approximately $400 million of the earlier bonds using cash reserves.
Despite Durov facing a tough time with French legal authorities, financial giants like BlackRock are confident of the company’s future amid strong growth prospects. Earlier today, Durov updated the company’s growth numbers, stating:
“Telegram Premium now has over 15 million paid subscribers. The number has doubled in just one year. Thank you for going Premium!”
With this loyal customer base of premium users, investors continue to envision a bright future for the firm. Apart from yield, what makes the bond issuance attractive is that, similar to previous bond issues, investors of the new bond would be able to convert their debt into stocks, at a discounted rate, whenever the company decides to go public, reported WSJ.
However, an initial public offering (IPO) appears unlikely in the near future due to Durov’s ongoing legal challenges and prevailing market volatility.
Earlier this month, the firm unveiled a significant NFT initiative in the market, with Durov announcing through his personal Telegram channel the launch of the platform’s new in-app Gift Marketplace.
Although Pavel Durov has been released on bail, he remains restricted from leaving France without official permission as the investigation proceeds.
On May 12, Durov sought a special exemption to travel to the U.S. for investor negotiations, but French prosecutors denied the request, stating that the purpose was “neither compelling nor justified.”
Previously, French authorities permitted Durov to travel to Dubai, where he resides. However, in his latest tweet, Durov stated that he would be finally traveling to Dubai next week.
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