TON community renames Toncoin to Gram; Telegram takes lead
The TON community has approved the rebrand of Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM), reviving the “Gram” name linked to Telegram’s earlier network plans. Governance results show 81.22% of participating voting power supported the change in a vote that ended June 8. The rename takes effect at 12:00 UTC on June 15, 2026.
Key mechanics: the blockchain remains The Open Network (TON), while the native token’s name, ticker, and logo will shift from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM). The proposal states no token migration, swap, bridge, or contract redeployment is needed—no “convert TON to GRAM” or “claim GRAM” process should be required.
Telegram’s role is expanding alongside the rebrand. The proposal says Telegram is becoming the primary driving force behind TON and is now the network’s largest validator. It links this shift to recent upgrades, including roughly 10x higher throughput, about 6x lower fees, and finality improvements to sub-second speeds. Pavel Durov is cited for emphasizing performance and protocol infrastructure.
Exchange and wallet rollout is planned in phases from June 9 to June 22, with trading pairs and interfaces updated during that window. For a three-month transition, projects are encouraged to display “Gram (prev. Toncoin)” to reduce confusion. Users are warned that any service claiming users must “convert” or “claim” is likely fraudulent.
Neutral
This is primarily a branding/ticker change for TON rather than a change in underlying chain or token mechanics. Because the proposal explicitly says there is no migration, swap, bridge, or contract redeployment, most holders should not face technical balance changes—reducing immediate downside risk.
However, markets may still react to the narrative shift: Telegram is described as the primary development force and the largest validator, alongside claimed throughput/fee/finality improvements. Historically, major governance-driven relabels and ecosystem “control” narratives can create short-term volatility (e.g., when token tickers change or when a dominant actor’s influence is emphasized). Yet without a stated economic reconfiguration (no supply change, no swap), the effect is more likely to be sentiment- and liquidity-driven than fundamental.
Short term (rollout window June 9–22): traders may see attention and potential confusion-driven flows as exchanges update pairs and wallets display the new ticker, so liquidity and spreads could fluctuate.
Long term (post June 15): if the promised performance gains and validator/maintenance influence translate into sustained usage and developer activity, the story could become moderately constructive. But until measurable on-chain adoption and sustained market liquidity improvements are confirmed, the expected impact is best classified as neutral.