The Open Network is renaming its native cryptocurrency from Toncoin back to its original title, Gram. The decision reverses a defensive naming strategy implemented six years ago after the U.S. SEC blocked the initial 2020 Gram launch and forced the cancellation of a $1.7 billion Initial Coin Offering.
Following an announcement on Monday by Telegram founder Pavel Durov on his personal channel, the token jumped 15% and crossed the $2.18 mark. Durov framed the decision as returning to the project’s roots to begin a new chapter.
The network transition will take approximately three weeks. A community vote is currently active on the blockchain, with 1.8 million tokens—roughly 80% of the active voting pool—pledged in favor of the change. Network administrators confirmed the rebrand requires no token swap, migration, or bridge operations. All existing balances and smart contracts will remain fully operational without user intervention.
The name change is step four of seven in the “Make TON Great Again” roadmap and Pavel Durov’s official statements regarding the three-week transition. The development follows an April Catchain network upgrade designed to increase transaction speeds and lower network fees.
How Telegram’s Validator Takeover Undoes the TON Foundation Era
The return to the Gram name formally realigns the blockchain with Telegram’s direct corporate infrastructure. Following the 2020 regulatory crackdown, the ecosystem evolved independently under the stewardship of the TON Foundation to distance the technology from U.S. regulatory scrutiny.
That independent era ended in May 2026. Telegram officially replaced the TON Foundation to take over as the network’s primary driver and largest validator. Reverting the currency’s name to the original title found in the 2018 whitepaper completes the company’s public reclamation of the blockchain ecosystem.