Business News Report
November 21, 2022

A mysterious billionaire buys short Telegram usernames

The @news nickname was sold at the Fragment auction for the price of 994,000 TON (about $1.7 million) in Telegram. The most expensive lot before it was @auto, acquired for $1.6 million. They are purchased from the same account, which currently has around 20.9 million TON, or $37.6 million at the current exchange rate, on hand. The identity of the buyer remains a mystery.

A mysterious billionaire buys short Telegram usernames

He also goes by the nicknames @news and @auto, in addition to several others, including @pizza, @alfa, @doge, @crew, and @aura. He has 33 NFTs total, each linked to a Telegram nickname and matching address. It is unclear who is behind this account, but their large holdings of TON suggest they are a major player in the Telegram Open Network ecosystem. The account’s activity has increased dramatically in the past few weeks, buying up expensive usernames.

  • According to the FAQ for the auction service, Telegram Messenger Inc. and Fragment Corp. are not related entities. So, if Telegram acquires a new owner, there may be some future conflict.
  • Additionally, the website makes it clear that Telegram has the authority to restrict or remove a moniker that has already been purchased.

So, what’s driving this demand for short Telegram usernames, and why are people willing to pay such high prices for them? It is not clear what the user plans to do with the nickname. On the one hand, it could be a large marketing agency purchasing usernames for its clients, or it could be a speculator looking to profit by selling it at a higher price later. 

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In line with the Trust Project guidelines, please note that the information provided on this page is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other form of advice. It is important to only invest what you can afford to lose and to seek independent financial advice if you have any doubts. For further information, we suggest referring to the terms and conditions as well as the help and support pages provided by the issuer or advertiser. MetaversePost is committed to accurate, unbiased reporting, but market conditions are subject to change without notice.

About The Author

Damir is the team leader, product manager, and editor at Metaverse Post, covering topics such as AI/ML, AGI, LLMs, Metaverse, and Web3-related fields. His articles attract a massive audience of over a million users every month. He appears to be an expert with 10 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. Damir has been mentioned in Mashable, Wired, Cointelegraph, The New Yorker, Inside.com, Entrepreneur, BeInCrypto, and other publications. He travels between the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and the CIS as a digital nomad. Damir earned a bachelor's degree in physics, which he believes has given him the critical thinking skills needed to be successful in the ever-changing landscape of the internet. 

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Damir Yalalov
Damir Yalalov

Damir is the team leader, product manager, and editor at Metaverse Post, covering topics such as AI/ML, AGI, LLMs, Metaverse, and Web3-related fields. His articles attract a massive audience of over a million users every month. He appears to be an expert with 10 years of experience in SEO and digital marketing. Damir has been mentioned in Mashable, Wired, Cointelegraph, The New Yorker, Inside.com, Entrepreneur, BeInCrypto, and other publications. He travels between the UAE, Turkey, Russia, and the CIS as a digital nomad. Damir earned a bachelor's degree in physics, which he believes has given him the critical thinking skills needed to be successful in the ever-changing landscape of the internet. 

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