Pavel Durov has announced that Toncoin’s native token will be renamed Gram, the next move in his “Make TON Great Again” (MTONGA) roadmap.
In a Telegram post, the Telegram co-founder — one of TON’s biggest backers — said the token rebrand will begin immediately and the transition should take about three weeks. The change applies only to the blockchain’s native asset; the network itself will continue operating as The Open Network (TON).
Background and why it matters
Toncoin’s origins trace back to Telegram’s 2018 blockchain project, originally called the Telegram Open Network, and its token was first referred to as Gram in the project’s early white paper. Telegram’s formal involvement ended in 2020 after a legal dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and development and governance shifted to independent contributors under the rebranded name The Open Network.
Telegram never fully walked away, however. The company added a TON-based wallet to its app in 2023, and Durov has remained an active supporter. This year he launched MTONGA, a seven-step initiative aimed at boosting the network. The first two steps, rolled out in April, focused on transaction speed and reducing fees. The third step, announced in early May, marked Telegram’s official re-entry as the ecosystem’s primary driver after replacing the TON Foundation and becoming the network’s largest validator.
“Telegram becoming TON’s largest validator strengthens decentralization,” Durov wrote on X after that move, arguing Telegram would serve as a counterbalance that enables other major validators to join without centralizing control.
What the Gram rebrand does
The rebrand to Gram is the fourth checkpoint of MTONGA and restores the token’s original name from the project’s early days. A refreshed website teases a new logo, and Durov framed the rename as both a return to roots and “starting a new chapter,” saying the move “will pave the way for what comes next.” Aside from the three-week transition window Durov flagged, specific operational details (exchange renames, wallet updates, ticker symbol changes) have not yet been laid out.
Market reaction and what to watch
At the time of writing, Gram is trading around $2.02, up a little over 5% in the past seven days. Keep an eye on exchange listings, wallet updates inside Telegram’s app, and how the wider validator community responds — the rebrand and Telegram’s validator role could influence liquidity, branding recognition, and governance dynamics. Three more steps remain in the MTONGA roadmap, and the community will be watching for the next announcements.
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