From TON to Gram(ma): Telegram's Blockchain Finally Gets Its Original Name Back 📜

The Open Network community has approved a formal rebranding of Toncoin [TON] to Gram [GRAM], with 81.22% of participating voting power backing the change in a governance vote that concluded on June 8. The rename takes effect at 12:00 UTC on June 15, 2026, and requires no token swap, bridge, claim, or migration. "There is no swap, bridge, claim, or migration," the proposal stated, explicitly warning that any service asking users to "convert TON to GRAM" or "claim GRAM" is fraudulent.

The move is tied to a broader strategic shift positioning Telegram as "the primary driving force behind TON," according to the finalized governance document. The proposal notes that Telegram is now the network's largest validator and ties the deepening role to recent protocol-level upgrades aimed at technical performance and infrastructure improvements. The proposal also described the rename as part of the "MTONGA" initiative, short for "Make TON Great Again," and was framed by founder Pavel Durov around technical and protocol-level priorities rather than community governance alone.

The return of the Gram branding carries historical weight. Telegram originally developed the Telegram Open Network and planned to launch Gram as its native token before halting the project following regulatory action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2020. The independent TON community continued development under The Open Network branding, and the proposal notes that "Gram" was the token name used in the original TON White Paper and remains embedded within parts of the network's core codebase.

Rollout will occur in phases from June 9 to June 22, during which exchanges, wallets, explorers, and ecosystem applications are expected to update trading pairs, interfaces, and ticker displays. Projects are also being encouraged to temporarily display the asset as "Gram [prev. Toncoin]" during a three-month transition window to reduce confusion among users. The ecosystem has additionally cautioned that any service claiming users must "convert TON to GRAM" or "claim GRAM" is fraudulent.