Viber will release its own cryptocurrency

Hiroshi Mikatani, top manager of the Japanese corporation Rakuten, said at the MWC 2018 conference in Barcelona that the release of a cryptocurrency from Viber is just around the corner. It is obvious that the company does not intend to lag behind its competitor Telegram, which has already held the second ICO of its GRAM cryptocurrency.

Rakuten is now already looking for partners who can assist in the implementation of the release of the Viber token and support it. Rakuten hopes that Telegram will release its currency either after or “simultaneously with Viber.”

However, Viber does not currently have any developments, or they are simply not advertised in the community. If the development of the project has not yet begun, this means that Viber may lag significantly behind its competitor. As experts note, for at least six months or a year.

However, while Viber has just decided to create its own cryptocurrency, GRAM is already actively recruiting investors. 

It is too early to predict how events will happen next. But one thing is clear: messengers will simultaneously develop payment systems, with the expectation of cross-border penetration.

Recall that Viber is a messenger that was developed in Belarus and is a resident of the Belarusian High Technology Park. 

The Rakuten company acquired it in 2014, paying about $900 million. In the first year, the messenger brought Rakuten a profit of $1.5 million. As of 2017, Viber's user base is about 900 million people.

The Japanese giant Rakuten has long been investing in modern technologies. Consider Pinterest's massive investment in 2012 and its $315 million purchase of e-book company Kobo in 2011.