The rebrand received strong community support, with nearly 80% of pledged voting power backing the change. Telegram founder Pavel Durov said the move is a return to the project’s roots and will not require any token swaps or technical changes.
TON Revives Original Gram Name
The Open Network (TON) is preparing for one of the biggest branding changes in its history, with plans to rename its native cryptocurrency from Toncoin (TON) back to Gram (GRAM), which is the name that was originally outlined in Telegram’s first white paper. The proposal is currently being voted on by the community, and has already received overwhelming support, with nearly 80% of pledged voting power backing the rebrand.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the move as a return to the project’s origins, and stated that Gram was the original name of the network’s currency before regulatory challenges forced a major shift in the project’s direction. The name was abandoned after the US Securities and Exchange Commission halted Telegram’s $1.7 billion token sale in 2020, leading Telegram to step away from the project and allowing the community-driven TON Foundation to continue development independently.
Telegram post by Pavel Durov
According to Durov, the transition to Gram is expected to take approximately three weeks and will not require any action from token holders. The Open Network explained that there will be no token swap, migration, bridge, claim process, or conversion event. Wallet addresses, balances, smart contracts, and network positions will remain unchanged. This means that the rebrand is purely a naming update rather than a technical overhaul.
The announcement was made shortly after Telegram assumed a more prominent role in the ecosystem, becoming the network’s primary driver and largest validator. The rebrand is also part of the “Make TON Great Again” roadmap, which already included major network improvements like Catchain upgrades designed to increase throughput, lower transaction fees, and deeper integration with Telegram’s ecosystem.
TON plans to transform Telegram’s billion-user messaging platform into a Web3-powered super app capable of supporting payments, digital ownership, mini-applications, AI agents, and decentralized services. Supporters believe the Gram brand better reflects the project’s original vision and could help strengthen its identity as it enters this next phase of development.
TON’s price action over the past 24 hours (Source: CoinCodex)
Traders responded positively to the news. Over the past 24 hours, Toncoin climbed by approximately 5%, rising to around $2.06. The token experienced a sharp rally surging from the $1.93 range to above $2.20 before consolidating. Although some profit-taking followed the spike, TON managed to hold on to a portion of its gains.
