Gram (prev. Toncoin)

What Is Gram (prev. Toncoin)?

Gram (GRAM) is the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network (TON), a fast, low-cost, layer-1 blockchain designed to live inside Telegram — the messaging app used by close to a billion people worldwide. On June 15, 2026, after a community governance vote passed with 81.22% support, the token formerly known as Toncoin (TON) was officially renamed Gram, reclaiming the name Telegram originally chose for it in its 2018 whitepaper. Importantly, this was a pure branding change: the blockchain itself is still called The Open Network, and no swap, migration, or action was required from holders. A balance of 10 TON simply became 10 GRAM at a 1:1 ratio.

At its core, Gram is a token built for consumer scale. Where many blockchains chase decentralization or raw computation, TON is engineered to move money as easily as sending a text message — powering payments, tipping, and a growing ecosystem of “mini apps” embedded directly in the Telegram interface. Following the Catchain 2.0 upgrade in 2026, block times dropped to roughly 400 milliseconds with sub-second finality, and transaction fees fell to around $0.0005 each. That combination of speed and near-zero cost is exactly what a payment network needs when it aims to serve hundreds of millions of everyday chat users.

Who Are the Founders of Gram?

The story of Gram traces back to Telegram and the brothers who built it, Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov. In 2017–2018, the Telegram team began developing a blockchain then called the “Telegram Open Network,” with a native token named Gram. Much of the original codebase and cryptographic design came from Dr. Nikolai Durov, a mathematician and Telegram co-founder. The project raised more than $1.7 billion in a token sale — but in 2019 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission intervened, and in 2020 Telegram settled, returning over $1.2 billion to investors and stepping away from the network.

Rather than dying, the technology was picked up by an independent community of developers who rebuilt it, renamed the blockchain “The Open Network,” and rebranded the token as Toncoin to distance it from the litigation. The Switzerland-based, non-profit TON Foundation became its most prominent steward. Then in 2026, the circle closed: Telegram re-engaged with the network under Pavel Durov’s leadership, became the largest validator, and championed the community vote that restored the original “Gram” name as part of a broader “Make TON Great Again” roadmap.

What Makes Gram Unique?

Gram’s defining feature is its native integration with Telegram. No other major blockchain is wired so directly into a messaging platform with a near-billion-user reach. Payments, tipping, and mini-app purchases happen inside chats, removing the friction that keeps most crypto confined to specialist wallets and exchanges.

Technically, TON is built for throughput. Its sharded, multi-blockchain architecture is designed to scale horizontally, and the 2026 Catchain 2.0 upgrade pushed real-world performance to roughly 400-millisecond blocks with sub-second finality at fractions of a cent per transaction. The ecosystem also includes services like TON DNS (human-readable addresses), TON Storage (decentralized file storage), and TON Proxy (a decentralized VPN layer). Notably, on-chain data shows people primarily use TON to move dollars: stablecoins like USDT dominate network activity, reinforcing Gram’s identity as “a messenger’s money” rather than a yield-farming platform.

How Many Gram Coins Are There in Circulation?

As of mid-2026, roughly 2.72 billion GRAM are in circulation. Unlike Bitcoin, Gram has no fixed maximum supply. New coins are continuously issued to reward validators, meaning the total supply gradually increases over time. Historically this inflation ran around 0.6% per year, but a tradeoff embedded in the Catchain 2.0 speed upgrade — more frequent blocks generating more validator rewards — is expected to raise annual inflation toward roughly 3.6%.

This is an important distinction for investors: Gram is an inflationary, utility-driven token rather than a scarce, capped store of value. Its value proposition rests on network usage and adoption rather than hard-coded scarcity. Prospective buyers should also be aware of periodic token unlocks — for example, scheduled releases that temporarily add to circulating supply and can create short-term selling pressure.

How Is the Gram Network Secured?

The Open Network is secured by a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. Instead of energy-intensive mining, validators lock up (stake) GRAM as collateral for the right to validate transactions and produce blocks. In return they earn staking rewards. If a validator behaves dishonestly, a portion of their stake can be slashed, aligning economic incentives with honest participation.

By mid-2026 the network ran roughly 400 validators spread across six continents. This is a functional and geographically distributed set, though it is far smaller than the hundreds of thousands of validators securing networks like Ethereum — a point worth noting honestly when assessing how decentralized TON truly is. A significant development in 2026 was Telegram itself becoming the largest single validator, replacing the TON Foundation as the primary network steward. This deepens Telegram’s commitment to the network but also increases centralization, a genuine trade-off for holders to weigh.

Where Can You Buy Gram (GRAM)?

Gram is a top-25 cryptocurrency and is widely available across major exchanges including Binance, Bybit, OKX, Bitget, and others. Following the rebrand, trading pairs that previously appeared as TON/USDT now display as GRAM/USDT. During the transition period many platforms show the asset as “Gram (prev. Toncoin)” to reduce confusion. Perhaps most conveniently, GRAM can be bought, sold, and sent directly inside Telegram through the built-in Wallet, making it one of the most accessible tokens for non-technical users.

To purchase Gram, create and verify an account on a supported exchange (or open the Wallet inside Telegram), deposit funds, and place a market or limit order on the GRAM pair. One critical safety note: because the rebrand was purely cosmetic, there is no legitimate “claim GRAM,” “convert TON,” or “migrate” process. Any website, bot, or message asking you to connect a wallet or share your seed phrase to migrate is fraudulent. Also verify you’re buying the correct asset — an unrelated, tiny “Gram” token (ticker GRM) exists separately.

New Information About the Gram Project’s Progress

2026 has been a landmark year for Gram. Beyond the rebrand, the network shipped a string of upgrades under the “Make TON Great Again” roadmap: Catchain 2.0 made the network roughly ten times faster with sub-second finality, a sixfold fee reduction brought costs down to about $0.0005 per transaction, and the Gram Store launchpad went live to fund and launch Telegram mini apps. Telegram also became the network’s largest validator, and new developer tools like AgenticKit signal a push toward AI-powered agents and bots operating on-chain.

The project maintains an active public presence, posting network milestones and roadmap updates regularly. You can follow the latest directly at the official TON / Gram X (Twitter) account. As always, verify announcements through official channels — and remember that no legitimate update will ever ask you to migrate tokens or share your seed phrase.

Gram (prev. Toncoin) Market Outlook

As of mid-July 2026, Gram trades near $1.60, with a market capitalization of roughly $4.3 billion and a top-25 ranking among all cryptocurrencies. The token remains well below its 2024 peak and has been volatile in both directions throughout 2026. The June rebrand from Toncoin to Gram proved to be a "sell-the-news" event — the price briefly spiked toward $2.20 on the announcement before reversing, reflecting the reality that a name change adds no new utility or demand on its own. In early July, however, GRAM staged a roughly 20% recovery from a June low near $1.48, aided by broader market strength.

Key Drivers to Watch

Gram's outlook is unusually dependent on a single, high-conviction thesis: whether Telegram can channel its near-billion-user base into real on-chain activity. Positive catalysts include the ongoing "Make TON Great Again" roadmap, deeper Telegram integration, the Gram Store launchpad for mini apps, and Telegram's role as lead validator. On the supply side, however, scheduled token unlocks — such as a late-July release adding millions of GRAM to circulation — act as recurring headwinds, since the token has no fixed cap and inflation is rising toward 3.6% annually.

Balance of Risks

Traders in mid-2026 are broadly defending the $1.50–$1.70 zone, with technical structure described as mixed: bearish momentum offset by rebrand and adoption optimism. Some bullish voices call for a reclaim of $2 and beyond if demand holds, while bears warn that losing $1.50 support could open a move toward $1.40. The central risk is execution: Gram is best understood as a multi-year bet on Telegram-driven mass adoption rather than a settled blue-chip holding, and its wide range of possible outcomes reflects exactly how uncertain that adoption path remains.

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