The messaging app Telegram has raised more money with its initial coin offering, logging another $850 million, the SEC reported yesterday. This brings the total amount raised via the offering to $1.7 billion, making it the largest initial coin offering in history.
This follows the company’s raise of $850 million in February with its first round of the ICO, near the end of the ICO’s prominence in the fintech hype cycle. The company’s second round (with the same total raised) also comes after the original cryptocurrency bitcoin, began experiencing one of its sharp declines in value.
The company is planning to use the funds from its ICO to build out its blockchain network, Bloomberg reported, which comes attached with its own native cryptocurrency, Gram.
The app, which was founded in 2013, now has 200 million monthly users, it reported earlier this week.