Telegram CEO Durov to share almost $14 bn of fortune with 100+ children he fathered

Russian-born Pavel Durov, founder and owner of popular encrypted messaging app Telegram, announced that he will share his fortune worth $13.9 billion (₹1.20 lakh crore) with over 100 children he has fathered, as per reports.

Durov reportedly has six children and other children were born after he donated sperm to a clinic to help his friend out.

The Telegram CEO also said that his children will not get their share before they turn 30, as per reports.

During his interview with a magazine, he also denied the charges against him in France.

In 2024, Durov was arrested in France over several charges related to his platform, and faced up to 20 years in prison if convicted. 

Later, he was released after paying a €5 million (about $5.6 million) bail, but was required to report to the police twice a week, Paris Public Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.

According to multiple reports, he was arrested on several charges which involved alleged spread of criminal activity on Telegram which has about 900 million active users.

The billionaire lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

An entrepreneur with at least $13.9 billion in his kitty, he left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to ban opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform.

In 2022, he was recognised by Forbes magazine as the richest expat in the UAE.

According to reports, after leaving Russia, he obtained Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship by donating $2,50,000 to the country’s Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation and secured $300 million in cash within Swiss banks.

This allowed him to focus on creating his next company, Telegram. In January 2018, Durov announced that in a bid to monetise the growing success of Telegram, he was launching the ‘Gram’ cryptocurrency and the TON platform. It raised a total of $1.7 billion from investors.

However, his crypto ventures were halted by the US regulator. In 2018, Russia attempted to block Telegram, after the company refused to cooperate with Russian security services.

Durov was arrested by France's anti-fraud office at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris, immediately after exiting his private jet. His arrest was based on an arrest warrant issued by the French National Judicial Police as part of a preliminary investigation.

Durov and his brother Nikolai founded the messaging app in 2013 and it has about 900 million active users.

Telegram offers end-to-end encrypted messaging and users can also set up ‘channels’ to disseminate information quickly to followers.

(with inputs from syndicated feed)