Pavel Durov has announced the fourth step of his Make TON Great Again roadmap — and it is one of the most symbolically significant moves yet. TON’s native currency is being renamed from Tonco
Pavel Durov has announced the fourth step of his Make TON Great Again roadmap — and it is one of the most symbolically significant moves yet. TON’s native currency is being renamed from Toncoin to Gram, reverting to the original name from The Open Network’s first white paper, published before Telegram was forced to abandon the project under SEC pressure in 2020.
“Gram was the original name of TON’s currency in the first white paper. We’re returning to our roots — and starting a new chapter,” Durov wrote in his Telegram channel, framing the rename as both a historical restoration and a forward-looking signal of what comes next.
The TON blockchain’s name remains unchanged. This is a currency rename only — not a chain migration, not a token swap, not any technical change that requires user action. The transition from Toncoin to Gram is expected to take approximately three weeks.
The market responded immediately. TON’s price jumped from $1.89 to $2.28 within 24 hours of the announcement — a move of approximately 20.6% — before settling back to around $2.00 as initial excitement moderated.
Why Gram and Why Now
The name Gram carries significant weight in TON’s history. When Telegram originally designed The Open Network in 2018 and 2019, Gram was the currency at the center of what was supposed to be one of the largest token launches in crypto history. Telegram raised $1.7 billion from investors for the project before the SEC intervened, ruling that the Gram token sale constituted an unregistered securities offering. Telegram settled with the SEC in 2020, returned funds to investors, and formally stepped away from TON development.
The project was subsequently taken over by an independent community, renamed from Gram to Toncoin, and rebuilt over several years into the network that now powers Telegram’s crypto wallet, gift system, tokenized usernames, and Mini Apps ecosystem. Throughout that period, Telegram’s involvement was at arm’s length — the company used the network but did not control it.
That changed in May 2026 when Durov announced step 3 of MTONGA — Telegram’s formal takeover of TON as its primary operator and largest validator. With Telegram now directly running the network, returning the currency to its original name is a statement of continuity and ownership. The name Gram never actually disappeared from the codebase, as TON’s X account noted:
“The name from the original TON White Paper that never left the codebase.”
What Changes — and What Doesn’t
The TON blockchain’s X account was explicit about the scope of the change:
“Nothing changes except the name and ticker. No swap, no migration, no action needed.”
Toncoin becomes Gram. The ticker changes from TON to GRAM. The blockchain itself retains the name TON. No technical action is required from holders, validators, developers, or application builders. The transition is purely a naming and branding exercise — significant symbolically, operationally minimal.
The network also issued an important security warning alongside the announcement: any website asking users to “claim GRAM” or “migrate TON” is fraudulent. Given how reliably phishing campaigns follow major crypto announcements, the warning is well-timed and worth emphasizing. Do not interact with any site claiming to offer token migration or Gram claims — the rename requires zero user action.
The MTONGA Roadmap in Context
Durov’s four-step announcement sequence reveals the shape of what he is building. Step 1 was the Catchain 2.0 upgrade that made TON ten times faster with sub-second finality. Step 2 brought transaction fees down six times to near-zero levels. Step 3 was Telegram’s formal takeover as primary network operator and largest validator. Step 4 is the Gram rename.
Three steps remain in the seven-step roadmap. The technical and operational steps have already transformed TON’s underlying infrastructure — faster, cheaper, and under direct Telegram control. The rename marks a shift from infrastructure work to brand and identity consolidation. What the final three steps involve has not been disclosed, but the pattern suggests they will continue expanding Telegram’s integration with the network and potentially address distribution, adoption, or financial product development.
Since Telegram took its leading role in TON’s development, the network has become measurably more competitive. Ten times faster transaction processing, six times lower fees, and now a currency name that reconnects the project to its original vision — the combination is a coherent narrative that Durov is clearly building deliberately.
Community Reaction: Divided on the Name Change
The community’s response to the Gram announcement has been notably more mixed than the price action suggests. While the 20% price jump indicates that markets responded positively to the signal, a meaningful portion of the community questioned the wisdom of changing a name that has been building recognition and brand equity for years.
The argument from skeptics is straightforward: Toncoin has established itself in the market, on exchanges, in media coverage, and in user vocabulary. Changing to Gram — even if it is the historically correct name — resets some of that accumulated recognition. Every exchange listing needs to be updated. Every piece of existing content becomes outdated. Every new user needs to learn a new ticker.
Supporters counter that Gram is the stronger brand — original, shorter, and directly connected to Telegram’s vision for the project. GRAM as a ticker is cleaner than TON, which shares its name with the blockchain itself and has caused ongoing confusion between the chain and the currency.
Whether the community vote ratifies the change formally will determine the final timeline. But with Telegram now in direct control of the network as its largest validator, the direction of travel is clear. Gram is coming.
