Дуров: Биткоин — идеальное средство обмена, прогнозирую его рост до $1 млн Translation: Durov: Bitcoin is the ideal medium of exchange, predicting its rise to $1 million.

Early investments in Bitcoin enabled Pavel Durov to cover personal expenses, while Telegram itself continues to be a loss-making venture for him. He shared this in an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman.

According to Durov, he acquired several thousand Bitcoins in 2013 at a price of around $700, investing a total of about $2 million. The following year, the cryptocurrency’s value dropped to $200. However, the future founder of Telegram retained his assets, emphasizing his belief in the decentralized nature of digital gold.

“I don’t plan to sell it. I believe in it and think money should function this way. Bitcoin cannot be confiscated or blocked for political reasons. It is the ideal medium of exchange,” Durov stated.

The entrepreneur pointed out that it was the first cryptocurrency, rather than Telegram, that became the source of his wealth, allowing him to pay for housing and private jet flights. According to him, the messenger remains a project operating at a loss.

Durov highlighted that his choice of Bitcoin as a store of value is tied to his philosophy of freedom, which he holds above all else. In the podcast, the businessman explained that Bitcoin’s limited supply protects it from devaluation, unlike fiat currencies, which governments “print like crazy.” He predicted Bitcoin’s price could reach $1 million.

He reminded his audience of the development of TON in 2018-2019, which was envisioned as a scalable blockchain for the Telegram ecosystem.

Durov mentioned that Bitcoin and Ethereum cannot handle the load from hundreds of millions of users, which is why TON utilized sharding technology. However, regulatory constraints in the U.S. prevented the team from implementing their goals.

Now rebranded as The Open Network, the network has been integrated into the messenger’s ecosystem and ranks among the leaders in daily trading volumes for NFTs. The native token, Toncoin, peaked at $8.25 in mid-2024 but then fell by 67%.

Additionally, it is worth noting that in August of last year, Pavel Durov was charged in France with facilitating crimes committed by Telegram users.