TON’s Bold Rebrand: Toncoin Returns to “Gram” as Telegram Charts Ambitious Web3 Future

The Open Network (TON), the high-performance blockchain originally conceived by Telegram, is making a significant strategic move: announcing the rebranding of its native cryptocurrency, Toncoin ($TON), back to its foundational name: Gram ($GRAM). This pivot, echoing the project’s 2018 whitepaper, immediately ignited market enthusiasm, sending $TON’s price soaring by over 15% upon the news.

Pavel Durov Confirms Return to Roots

Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder and a key early architect of TON, confirmed the change in a recent Telegram post on Monday, stating:

Gram was the original name for $TON in the first version of the white paper. We decided to return to our roots and are ready to open a new chapter.

Durov further indicated that this comprehensive rebranding, expected to take approximately three weeks, is designed to “pave the way for future developments.”

A Resonant Echo of History: From SEC Halt to Community Revival

This rebranding carries profound historical weight. Telegram’s initial attempt to launch Gram tokens in 2020 was famously thwarted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which blocked a massive $1.7 billion Initial Coin Offering (ICO). This regulatory intervention led Telegram to divest from the project, which was subsequently revitalized and developed by the community, evolving into what is now The Open Network (TON).

Intriguingly, this renaming follows Telegram’s official re-engagement with TON in May of this year, where it assumed a leading role from the TON Foundation, becoming a primary driver and the largest “node validator” for the network.

Seamless Transition: No Impact on Current Holders

Addressing potential market anxieties, The Open Network initiated a community governance vote on Monday. The official announcement unequivocally assures token holders that this is a “purely brand-centric rebranding.” It explicitly states that there will be no complex technical operations such as token swaps, asset migrations, cross-chain bridging, or re-claiming processes. User wallet addresses, smart contracts, and existing token balances will remain entirely unaffected, safeguarding all user rights.

The strong community support is evident, with over 1.8 million $TON (approximately 80% of total votes) already cast in favor of the proposal at the time of writing, indicating a high degree of consensus.

“Make TON Great Again”: The Vision for a Web3 Super App

Durov positions the token renaming as a pivotal step in the “Make TON Great Again” roadmap, marking the fourth phase of this ambitious strategy. Earlier phases, completed this year, included the April upgrade to the Catchain consensus mechanism for enhanced blockchain processing speed, a significant reduction in transaction fees, and Telegram’s full operational integration with the network.

An official statement underscored, “These changes represent crucial milestones in the network’s evolution and present an ideal opportunity to redefine the token’s brand identity.”

Telegram’s ultimate aspiration is to deliver a seamless “Web3 super app” experience to a billion users. This expansive vision sees Telegram transcending its role as a mere messaging platform, evolving into a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing global payments, mini-applications, digital asset ownership, and cutting-edge AI agent services.

Market Reacts to the News

Following the news, $TON initially surged from $1.95 to above $2.25, marking an impressive gain of over 15%. However, it has since retraced to approximately $2.01 amidst profit-taking activities.