Toncoin is rebranding as Gram, reviving the original token name tied to Telegram’s early blockchain plans.
Toncoin News
Toncoin (TON), the native currency of the TON blockchain, is being renamed Gram. The change restores the name first used for the token in the project's original white paper. The transition is expected to take about three weeks.
TON will keep its name as the blockchain, while Gram will become the label for the asset used across the network. The project framed the change as a return to its roots and a step toward its next phase.
Gram Name Carries Telegram History
The Gram name has deep history in the ecosystem. Telegram built the Telegram Open Network and had planned to issue a token called Gram, but that effort was met with regulatory resistance in the United States.
In 2020, Telegram settled with the SEC. It agreed to return more than $1.2 billion to investors and pay an $18.5 million civil penalty over the unregistered Gram offering. Telegram then stepped back, and the project continued through community-led development as The Open Network, with its token widely known as Toncoin.
Part of Durov's TON Roadmap
The rebrand is part of Pavel Durov's "Make TON Great Again" roadmap, a seven-step plan to reshape the network's place within Telegram and the wider crypto market. Earlier steps included a network upgrade, lower transaction fees, and a larger operational role for Telegram.
Durov has said TON fees fell sixfold to nearly zero. He said Telegram would take over from the TON Foundation as the network's main driving force and become its largest validator. The focus, he says, will shift toward technical superiority, including a redesigned website, new developer tools, and performance upgrades.
Reviving Gram may help separate the blockchain's identity from its currency. Under the new structure, TON stays the network and Gram becomes the asset.
The rebrand follows years of renewed Telegram involvement after distancing itself from the original project. In 2025, the TON Foundation said TON would serve as the exclusive blockchain infrastructure for Telegram's Mini App ecosystem.
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