Raoul Pal: The Journey Man

Inside Telegram’s Plan to Bank 3 Billion People ft. Manuel Stotz from the TON Foundation

30 snips
Jun 5, 2025
Manuel Stotz, president of the TON Foundation, shares his journey from Goldman Sachs to pioneering blockchain innovation on Telegram. They discuss how TON aims to create a digital financial ecosystem for 3 billion people, leveraging Telegram to tackle real-world use cases like remittances and gaming. They also explore the unique challenges of merging messaging with blockchain, the potential of Toncoin in mobile payments, and the transformative financial opportunities for emerging markets, particularly in Kenya.
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ANECDOTE

Manuel Stotz's Early Journey

  • Manuel Stotz grew up in a small German town with academic parents and dreamed of changing the world and making money.
  • He pursued investment by focusing on high returns and got a scholarship to London's LSE, interning at top finance firms.
INSIGHT

Crypto's Role in Emerging Markets

  • Three billion people in emerging markets lack the US dollar and banking access, relying on weak currencies.
  • Smartphones provide an escape via crypto assets like Bitcoin and stablecoins as solutions in these regions.
INSIGHT

TON's Unique Adoption Challenge

  • Telegram and TON face the unique challenge of converting an existing billion-user messaging network into a blockchain ecosystem.
  • This reverses the typical blockchain growth pattern which usually starts with no users and builds product adoption first.
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