Pavel Durov has officially announced that the native currency of The Open Network (TON) will be renamed to Gram. The move represents a return to the project's original 2018 vision while marking a new chapter for the blockchain deeply integrated with Telegram.
The token was originally called Gram during the launch of TON (Telegram Open Network) in 2018. The name first appeared in Telegram's original white paper. Back then, Telegram raised $1.7 billion from investors. However, in 2020, the project was halted following a lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
After the SEC intervention, Telegram officially abandoned the project, returned funds to investors, and open-sourced the code. The community later relaunched the network independently — this time under the name Toncoin (TON) with governance by the TON Foundation.
According to Durov's announcement, the rebranding symbolizes a return to origins as Telegram strengthens its role in the ecosystem's development. The blockchain will keep the name TON / The Open Network. Only the token's name and ticker are changing from Toncoin to Gram (GRAM).
No technical changes are required. Balances, addresses, smart contracts, NFTs, staking positions, and DeFi products remain completely unaffected. There will be no token swaps, no bridges, no claims, and no migration. Users do not need to take any action.
In recent months, TON has undergone significant improvements. According to blockchain announcements published in Telegram's official channel, the network now operates 10 times faster while fees have decreased by 6 times. Telegram itself has taken a leading role in the network and become its largest validator.
The name "Gram" was the original name given by the founders in the initial TON white paper. Unlike Toncoin — which was introduced after the community-led relaunch — Gram has always remained in the codebase. Telegram now proposes returning to this original identity, citing that the current moment is ideal for the update.
The rebranding reflects Telegram's renewed involvement with the network. The messenger is no longer just a platform hosting TON-based applications — it has become an active participant in securing and developing the blockchain as a major validator.