Business - Brazil Markets

Telegram Leverages $300M xAI Deal to Expand A.I. Monetization for 1B Users

By RT Staff Reporters · May 28, 2025 · 2 min read

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced a one-year partnership with Elon Musk’s xAI on May 28, 2025, integrating the Grok chatbot into the messaging platform’s ecosystem.

The deal grants Telegram $300 million in cash and equity from xAI, plus 50% of subscription revenue generated through the app.

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This collaboration aims to deploy Grok’s AI tools—including real-time answers, document summaries, and chat moderation—to Telegram’s billion-plus users by summer 2025.

The agreement strengthens Telegram’s financial standing after reporting a $540 million profit in 2024, reversing a $173 million loss the prior year.

Concurrently, Telegram is raising $1.5 billion via high-yield bonds to refinance debt, with BlackRock and Citadel among investors. The platform’s native cryptocurrency, Toncoin, surged 20% to $3.63 post-announcement, boosting its market cap to $8.9 billion.

Grok’s integration positions Telegram ahead of rivals like WhatsApp in AI monetization. Premium users will access advanced features like Grok 3, while free users face limited functionality.

Grok-Telegram Deal Under Fire

Despite promises of data privacy—Durov confirmed no user data will train Grok’s models—the chatbot has faced scrutiny. In May 2025, it referenced the debunked “white genocide” conspiracy theory, which Musk previously promoted. xAI blamed unauthorized code alterations and pledged tighter oversight.

Durov’s legal troubles add complexity. French authorities arrested him in August 2024, alleging complicity in crimes facilitated via Telegram, including drug trafficking.

Released under a €5 million bond, he denies wrongdoing and asserts compliance with EU regulations. The platform also faces criticism from Iranian and EU regulators over content moderation.

For xAI, the deal provides access to Telegram’s vast user base amid fierce AI competition. Musk’s firm, which acquired X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year, seeks to leverage Telegram’s reach to refine Grok’s capabilities.

Analysts note the partnership could reshape how AI tools are monetized in messaging apps, though ethical and legal risks persist.

Live Market IntelligenceBrazil — Live Market BoardInside: market breadth, the sector heatmap, currencies & rates, the Latin America scoreboard and the full instrument board.

Rio Times · Live Market Intelligence

Brazil — Live Market Board

B3 · São Paulo
Jul 24, 2026 · 23:22

Ibovespa · benchmark

174,041.95
-1.52%

L 174,042day rangeH 176,720

+30.07% over 12 months

Market breadth · 15 names

20% advancing

3 ▲ advancing12 declining ▼

Currencies, rates & key inputs

USD / BRL

5.08

-0.18%

EUR / BRL

5.78

+0.08%

Selic rate

14.25%

·

Brent crude

98.38

-2.29%

Iron ore

161.91

·

Sector heatmap · average move today

Mining

+0.46%

VALE3, CSNA3, GGBR4

Industrials

+0.02%

WEGE3, RENT3

Materials

-1.39%

SUZB3

Financials

-1.62%

ITUB4, BBDC4, BBAS3, B3SA3

Consumer Staples

-1.76%

ABEV3

Energy

-2.28%

PETR4, PRIO3

Consumer Disc.

-2.35%

AZZA3

Utilities

-3.11%

ENEV3

Latin America scoreboard

IndexLastTodayStrength

IbovespaBrazil
174,041.95
-1.52%

S&P/BMV IPCMexico
66,247.47
-1.56%

S&P IPSAChile
10,950.74
+0.31%

S&P MERVALArgentina
3,283,854
-1.07%

MSCI COLCAPColombia
2,274.53
-0.38%

BVL S&P PerúPeru
58,287.01
—

Full instrument board

Instrument	Last	Change	YoY	Prev.	High	Low	Volume
IBOV	174,041.95	-1.52%	+30.07%	176,723.62	176,720	174,042	—
USD/BRL	5.08	-0.18%	-8.00%	5.08	5.09	5.05	—
SELIC	14.25%		—	—	—	—	—
PETR4	42.21	-1.72%	+32.15%	42.95	42.91	42.15	29,108,700
VALE3	75.24	-0.58%	+33.10%	75.68	75.53	74.84	8,619,900
ITUB4	42.10	-1.08%	+23.68%	42.56	42.45	42.04	10,431,800
BBDC4	18.48	-1.28%	+17.86%	18.72	18.64	18.42	13,961,200
BBAS3	20.35	-2.77%	+1.40%	20.93	20.82	20.35	14,376,600
B3SA3	15.44	-1.34%	+17.68%	15.65	15.67	15.43	35,146,900
ABEV3	15.64	-1.76%	+15.85%	15.92	15.90	15.61	15,223,800
WEGE3	45.99	+0.70%	+26.94%	45.67	46.19	44.94	7,718,600
PRIO3	58.82	-2.84%	+39.05%	60.54	60.27	58.46	5,375,200
SUZB3	41.84	-1.39%	-18.76%	42.43	42.25	41.63	3,639,400
RENT3	36.89	-0.67%	+2.56%	37.14	37.38	36.59	4,733,700
AZZA3	16.65	-2.35%	-54.40%	17.05	17.17	16.65	1,511,900
CSNA3	5.36	+1.13%	-37.31%	5.30	5.45	5.24	8,132,600
GGBR4	24.26	+0.83%	+40.39%	24.06	24.45	23.82	5,543,500
ENEV3	24.90	-3.11%	+79.65%	25.70	25.58	24.87	4,494,600

Largest moves today

ENEV3
24.90
-3.11%

PRIO3
58.82
-2.84%

BBAS3
20.35
-2.77%

AZZA3
16.65
-2.35%

ABEV3
15.64
-1.76%

PETR4
42.21
-1.72%

IBOV
174,041.95
-1.52%

SUZB3
41.84
-1.39%

The session read

The Ibovespa eased 1.52%, with breadth negative — 3 of 15 names higher. Mining led, while Utilities lagged.

From The Rio Times

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Telegram Leverages $300M xAI Deal to Expand A.I. Monetization for 1B Users

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