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Are Cryptocurrencies to Blame for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s Arrest?

In the wake of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s bombshell arrest in France last weekend and subsequent criminal indictment, there’s still a lot that’s uncertain — most notably, how the high-stakes drama will impact Telegram’s massive crypto ambitions.

This year, Telegram became perhaps the most high-profile company to ever jump with both feet into the cryptosphere. The dominant messaging service fostered the proliferation of an ecosystem of on-chain and in-app gaming and services powered by Telegram’s blockchain of choice, The Open Network (TON). These so-called “mini apps” exploded in popularity this spring, thanks in large part to their ability to earn users crypto rewards through token airdrops.

The company’s new path seemed so limitless that some TON developers prophesied that the app could soon leverage its on-chain mini app model to become the Western version of China’s “everything app,” WeChat.