Pavel Durov is taking The Open Network back to its roots. In a post to his personal Telegram channel on Monday, the founder announced that the network's native token, Toncoin (TON), will be rebranded to Gram over the next three weeks. The market reacted swiftly to the nostalgia-fueled pivot, sending the token's price up by as much as 19% as traders piled into the asset.
The name change is more than a cosmetic update; it is a direct nod to TON's turbulent history. Gram was the original moniker designated in Telegram's 2018 whitepaper, a project that raised $1.7 billion before the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stepped in. The regulator blocked the initial launch in 2020, forcing Telegram to officially abandon the project and hand the codebase over to an independent developer community, which later launched it as Toncoin.
Reclaiming the Gram name suggests a bold, perhaps defiant, alignment between Telegram and the blockchain network that has increasingly become central to its Web3 strategy. Over the past year, Telegram has integrated TON deeply into its messaging app, using it for ad revenue sharing, creator payouts, and in-app mini-programs. Rebranding the token back to Gram simplifies the narrative for Telegram's 900 million users, potentially lowering the cognitive barrier for mainstream adoption.
However, the transition carries execution risks. Exchanges will need to coordinate ticker updates, and liquidity pools across decentralized protocols must adapt to the new branding without disrupting trading. Traders should watch how major exchanges handle the transition over the next three weeks, particularly regarding potential ticker changes from TON to GRAM, and whether the SEC or other regulators raise fresh objections to this symbolic revival.
Durov Renames Toncoin to Gram, Sparking 19% Price Surge
Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced the renaming of The Open Network's native token from Toncoin to Gram over the next three weeks. This move revives the original 2018 name that was blocked by the SEC, causing the token price to climb as much as 19%.