A digital currency named Telegram Stars has been introduced, allowing users to spend it on any digital goods, from e-books and online courses to in-game items.

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, announced the launch of this internal currency in the messenger. Known as Telegram Stars, it can be used to pay for digital services within bots and mini-apps. According to the company’s blog, “stars” can be purchased through in-app purchase systems on Apple and Google stores or via PremiumBot. They can be spent on any digital product available on the Telegram platform, from e-books and online courses to in-game items.

Mini-app developers will be able to later withdraw the accumulated “stars” through the Fragment platform, converting them into Toncoin cryptocurrency. Additionally, the internal currency can be used to further promote Telegram apps.