‘Facebook of Russia’ Exec Rogozov Joins Telegram’s Spin-Off Blockchain Project

Toncoin, the offspring of the blockchain task designed by Telegram, conscionable brought successful reinforcements from the mainstream tech satellite – specifically, Russian internet giant, VK.

Andrew Rogozov, a vice president astatine VK, the genitor institution of “Facebook of Russia,” is joining the TON Foundation, a radical of radical and companies supporting the fledgling Toncoin blockchain, earlier known arsenic Newton.

Rogozov plans to assistance Toncoin turn into a crypto task adopted by Telegram’s much than 500 cardinal monthly users. He volition determination to an advisor relation astatine VK, helium told CoinDesk successful an exclusive interview.

VK said successful a connection that Rogozov “contributed importantly to the institution implicit the years he’s been moving here,” but starting successful the 2nd quarter, helium volition absorption connected different projects, portion advising VK CEO Vladimir Kirienko connected cardinal absorption priorities, strategical readying and societal networks development.

Rogozov is besides bringing “several people” with him, helium said, though helium declined to sanction them oregon accidental if they’re coming from VK oregon different companies.

Toncoin, a blockchain task utilizing codification created respective years agone by Telegram, is connected the mode to becoming afloat integrated into the messaging app, Rogozov said.

“We are present successful talks with the Telegram squad arsenic good arsenic the teams of developers moving connected assorted projects” based connected the Toncoin blockchain, helium said.

Telegram is connected committee with the plan, Rogozov said. Toncoin is already disposable to the messaging system’s users done 2 in-app bots: 1 that facilitates donations of Toncoin’s namesake tokens to contented creators, and a wallet bot providing in-app purchases of the token done the crypto trading steadfast Neocrypto.

Telegram had not commented by property time. We volition update the communicative if we perceive from the company.

A fig of different projects utilizing the Toncoin blockchain are successful the works and mightiness soon go disposable to Telegram users, Rogozov said. “My relation is to assistance with due connection betwixt the teams and to marque things happen,” helium said.

In Rogozov’s view, Telegram is not conscionable a messaging app: It’s a large contented level due to the fact that its galore channels relation arsenic media outlets. That means the existent roar successful contented instauration volition payment it and boost the improvement of crypto tools aimed astatine rewarding those creators – including Toncoin’s donation bot, Rogozov said.

Integration with Telegram volition springiness Toncoin an vantage nary different blockchain has, Rogozov said.

“I spot imaginable for this for the adjacent 10 years and privation it to past long. I’m funny to beryllium successful the halfway of this movement,” helium said.

Last year, Rogozov co-founded Tonkeeper, a non-custodial wallet for Toncoin launched successful the fall, helium said.

In December, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov publically endorsed Toncoin arsenic a task continuing the enactment his squad had to abandon successful 2020. Telegram planned to motorboat TON, an ambitious blockchain with a autochthonal crypto token, successful 2019, but shelved the program aft a legal fight with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission implicit the presumption of the project’s token.

A assemblage of developers who had been processing tools for the TON blockchain ecosystem and participated successful Telegram’s hackathons subsequently picked up the code, a determination that led to the improvement of two abstracted projects based connected the aforesaid exertion and ideas: Free TON (later rebranded arsenic Everscale) and Newton (later rebranded arsenic Toncoin).

Rogozov is, successful a sense, a crypto veteran. He bought his archetypal bitcoin successful 2014. Since 2007, helium has been moving astatine VK.com, Durov’s archetypal institution and a fashionable Russian societal network, which Durov aboriginal exited not without a drama. Durov started moving connected Telegram messenger when helium was inactive successful VK.com. Rogozov was portion of that, too, helium said.

After Durov discontinue to physique Telegram, Rogozov took implicit the CEO relation astatine VK.com and aboriginal became a vice president for societal platforms successful Mail.ru, the institution that acquired it. Mail.ru re-branded successful October arsenic VK, taking the sanction of its subsidiary.