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Gram (formerly Toncoin)

GRAM · Field entry
PaymentsPayments & moneySmart contracts

The Open Network's native coin, renamed from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) in June 2026

$1.530.41%Snapshot · October 4, 2026 · updates live
Market cap
$4.32B
24h volume
$22.62M
Rank
#32
Circulating
2.82B GRAM
Max supply
No fixed cap
All-time high
$8.25 June 14, 2024

GRAM price chart

7-day snapshot. Chart data from CoinGecko.

What is Gram (formerly Toncoin)?

Gram (GRAM), known until June 2026 as Toncoin (TON), is the native coin of The Open Network, a blockchain closely tied to the Telegram messaging app. It pays fees, is staked by validators and is used for payments inside Telegram. The rename changed only the coin's name and ticker; the blockchain is still called The Open Network (TON) and balances and addresses did not change.

Utility Lens

What Gram (formerly Toncoin) actually does

GRAM powers The Open Network so that Telegram's users and mini apps can send payments, tip creators and use crypto services inside the chat app.

Real-world usage
growingTelegram integration gives GRAM real payment and wallet use, but on-chain DeFi is small and much past activity came from short-lived tap-to-earn games.
Token necessity
essentialGRAM pays all network fees and is the stake that secures validators, and Telegram uses it as its non-fiat payment method for services.
Decentralization
limitedSince April 2026 Telegram itself is the largest validator and has taken over many of the TON Foundation's roles, giving one private company outsized influence.
Track record
provenThe community-run network has operated since 2020, after Telegram abandoned the original project under SEC pressure, and it stopped producing blocks for about six hours in August 2024.

How we rate

What it’s used for

Most people meet GRAM through Telegram: its built-in wallet, payments to creators and mini apps such as games run on The Open Network. Users also send USDT stablecoins on the network, and validators stake GRAM to secure it. Much of the 2024 user growth came from tap-to-earn games whose activity later fell sharply.

Role of the GRAM token:

gasstaking securitygovernancepayments

Evidence of real use

  • The token rename from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) took effect at 12:00 UTC on June 15, 2026; the blockchain kept the name The Open Network. Source
  • The governance vote approving the rename concluded June 8, 2026 with about 81 percent of participating voting power in favor, and required no token swap. Source
  • Telegram staked 2.2 million coins to run as a primary validator on April 30, 2026 and became the network's largest validator. Source
  • The network stopped producing blocks for about six hours in August 2024 during heavy traffic from the DOGS memecoin launch. Source

How Gram (formerly Toncoin) works

The Open Network is built as a 'blockchain of blockchains'. A masterchain keeps the overall state and the list of validators, while workchains run apps and can split into many shardchains when traffic rises, then merge back when it falls. This lets the network spread load across many chains at once instead of pushing every transaction through a single queue.

Security comes from proof of stake. Validators lock up GRAM, are elected in rounds, and earn rewards from new issuance and fees; holders can join through staking pools. In April 2026 a consensus upgrade called Catchain 2.0 cut block times to well under a second, and fees were reduced again later that month. Validators also vote on network settings, which is how the token rename was approved.

The Telegram connection is what sets this network apart. Telegram's founders designed TON and its token, then called Gram, in 2018, but a US court blocked the token's distribution in 2020 after an SEC lawsuit. Independent developers relaunched the network and called the coin Toncoin. In 2026 Telegram stepped back in as the leading validator and the community restored the Gram name.

Key moments

  1. 2018Telegram raises about 1.7 billion dollars privately to build the Telegram Open Network and its Gram token.
  2. 2020After an SEC lawsuit and a US court injunction, Telegram abandons the project; community developers relaunch it as The Open Network with the coin called Toncoin.
  3. 2024Tether launches USDT on TON in April; the network halts for about six hours in August during the DOGS memecoin launch.
  4. 2026Telegram becomes the largest validator in April, Catchain 2.0 cuts block times, and on June 15 Toncoin (TON) is renamed Gram (GRAM).

Supply

Total supply is roughly 5 billion coins and grows slowly through validator rewards, while a portion of transaction fees is burned under a 2023 community decision. In 2023 validators also voted to freeze about 1.08 billion coins held in long-inactive early-mining wallets for 48 months, so circulating supply is only a little over half of the total.

Risks to understand

  • Telegram dependency: the network's usage and direction now rest heavily on one private company and its founder, Pavel Durov, who remains under a French judicial investigation opened in 2024.
  • Centralization: with Telegram as the largest validator, a single operator's decisions or legal problems could affect the whole network.
  • Rename confusion and scams: some apps, exchanges and old articles still say TON or Toncoin; any request to 'migrate' or 'swap' TON for GRAM is a scam, because no swap was needed.
  • Ecosystem durability: the 2024 boom in tap-to-earn games faded quickly, and DeFi on the network has shrunk from its 2024 peak.
  • Outages and price volatility: the network stopped producing blocks for hours in August 2024, and GRAM's price can move sharply.

Gram (formerly Toncoin) FAQ

Are Toncoin, TON and Gram the same thing?

Yes for the coin: Toncoin (TON) was renamed Gram (GRAM) on June 15, 2026, with the same balances, addresses and contracts. 'TON' still refers to The Open Network blockchain itself.

Do I need to do anything after the rename?

No. There was no swap, bridge or claim; wallets and exchanges simply updated the name and ticker.

Is The Open Network owned by Telegram?

They are legally separate, but since April 2026 Telegram has been the largest validator and took on many of the TON Foundation's responsibilities, so the two are now closely aligned.

Why was the name changed back to Gram?

Gram was the token's name in Telegram's original 2018 plan; the community voted to restore it after Telegram's return to the network.

Sources

  1. Native Token Rename: Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) — TON (official X account)
  2. What Is the TON to GRAM Rebrand? — Binance Academy
  3. Bybit to support Toncoin (TON) rebrand and ticker change to Gram (GRAM) — Bybit
  4. What is Toncoin - TON guide — CoinShares
  5. TON Network Restores Block Production After Six-Hour Disruption Triggered by $DOGS — DeFi Planet
  6. SEC Halts Alleged $1.7 Billion Unregistered Digital Token Offering — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Last reviewed October 4, 2026 by The Crypto Guide editorial team. Utility Lens ratings are editorial judgments, not investment advice. Market data from CoinGecko. Spot an error? Request a correction.