Telegram is taking control of The Open Network (TON) and renaming its native token from Toncoin to Gram. The move revives the original naming plan the messaging company had for the cryptocurrency before it abandoned the project altogether.
A return to the original name
Gram was the name Telegram first chose for the token when it unveiled the TON blockchain several years ago. But after the project was shelved, the network continued under community management and the token became known as Toncoin. Now Telegram is pulling the network back under its direct oversight and restoring the Gram label.
What the transition means
The company’s assumption of control ends the period where TON operated independently of its creator. For token holders and users of the blockchain, the rebranding signals a tighter integration with Telegram’s messaging platform. The company has not yet detailed specific changes to the network’s governance or technical roadmap beyond the name shift.
Telegram first proposed TON and the Gram token in 2018, raising billions from private investors. Legal challenges from regulators forced the company to step back, and the project was eventually handed off to an independent community. But the new move reverses that separation. By reclaiming control and reverting to the Gram moniker, Telegram is effectively restarting the initiative on its own terms.
The rebranding applies immediately to the token. The network’s infrastructure and existing balances are expected to carry over without interruption. No specific date for further announcements has been set.
