What Is GRAM? The Crypto Token Formerly Known as Toncoin

GRAM is the new name for Toncoin, the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network (TON) blockchain. The rename took effect on June 15, 2026, after a community governance vote passed with 81.22% support. The ticker changed from TON to GRAM, but the token itself is unchanged — same blockchain, same balances, same addresses. If you held 10 Toncoin before the rename, you now hold 10 GRAM. Nothing was swapped, and no action was required from holders.

Summary

• GRAM is the renamed Toncoin, the native token of The Open Network (TON) blockchain.

• The rename went live on June 15, 2026. The ticker changed from TON to GRAM at a 1:1 ratio, automatically.

• The blockchain itself is still called TON. Only the token's name, ticker, and logo changed.

• There is no swap, bridge, migration, or claim process. Any site or message asking you to "claim GRAM" or "migrate your TON" is a scam.

• Gram was the token's original name from Telegram's 2018 whitepaper, before regulators forced the project to change course.

Why did Toncoin change its name to GRAM?

The short answer: it's a return to the original name. When Telegram founders Pavel and Nikolai Durov published the Telegram Open Network whitepaper in 2018, the network's native currency was called Gram. Telegram raised around $1.7 billion from investors to build it.

That version of Gram never launched. In October 2019, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) blocked the token distribution, arguing the sale was an unregistered securities offering. Telegram abandoned the project in 2020, returned more than $1.2 billion to investors, and paid an $18.5 million civil penalty.

The network's open-source code lived on. Independent developers relaunched it as The Open Network, and the token was deliberately renamed Toncoin to put distance between the community-run project and the name at the center of the SEC case.

Six years later, that distance is no longer needed. The 2026 rename is part of Pavel Durov's "Make TON Great Again" roadmap, a seven-step plan that has already delivered lower fees, a major network upgrade, and a larger role for Telegram itself, which is now the network's biggest validator. Restoring the Gram name reconnects the token to its Telegram origins — and to Telegram's roughly 900 million monthly users.

What changed, and what didn't?

The rename is cosmetic. It affects the label, not the asset underneath.

Exchanges and wallets rolled the change out on their own schedules through late June 2026. Binance, for example, delisted its TON spot pairs on June 30 and relaunched trading under GRAM pairs on July 2. During the transition, platforms were advised to display the asset as "Gram (prev. Toncoin)" to limit confusion, so you may still see both names in older articles and slower-moving apps.

Is GRAM the same as TON?

Sort of. The two are related but not interchangeable. And this is where most of the confusion lies.

• TON is the blockchain — short for The Open Network. It's the infrastructure: the chain, the validators, the architecture. It was not renamed.

• GRAM is the native token of that blockchain. It's the asset you buy, hold, stake, and spend. This is what used to be called Toncoin.

Before June 2026, the token and the ticker were both "TON," which blurred the line between the network and its currency. Splitting them — TON for the chain, GRAM for the coin — is one of the stated reasons for the rename.

Still confused? In plain language, the rebranding changed the Toncoin (TON) token name to Gram (GRAM). The network, however, is still TON. For now on all Toncoin transactions will be Gram transactions carried out on the TON network.

Why is a crypto token named after a unit of weight?

The cryptocurrency GRAM has nothing to do with the gram you weigh things with. The name comes from Telegram — it's the last syllable of the messaging app the token was originally built for. The weight connection is a pun that falls out of that naming, not the reason for it.

Are TON and GRAM both units of weight?

As everyday words a ton and a gram are both units of mass. A ton is imperial and a gram is metric. Nevertheless, the weight pairing is not the reason for the rename (or at least not officially). Moreover the weight unit parallel has never even been acknowledged to date. TON stands for The Open Network (originally the Telegram Open Network), and Gram comes from the last syllable of Telegram.

Believe it or not, that's the entire official story: the only reason Durov has given for the change is a return to the token's original name from the 2018 whitepaper.

Neither Telegram nor Durov has ever publicly addressed the ton-and-gram coincidence — not in the original whitepaper, not in the 2026 rename announcement, not anywhere in between. Whether it's an intentional pun or an accident of two independently derived names remains unconfirmed. For wordplay this prominent, remarkably few people have even pointed it out.

Did Toncoin convert to GRAM like a weight measurement?

No. While a metric ton equals 1,000,000 grams, the crypto rename was a simple 1:1 relabel. One Toncoin became one GRAM. Nobody's balance was multiplied, divided, or redenominated. If you held 50 TON, you now hold 50 GRAM, worth exactly the same. The weight units are a naming coincidence, not a conversion rate.

Watch out for rename scams

A rebrand is a favorite hunting ground for scammers, so this bears repeating: there is no official swap, migration, claim, or new token involved in the Toncoin-to-Gram rename. The change happened automatically on-chain.

Any email, direct message, pop-up, or website asking you to connect your wallet, send tokens, or visit a page to "claim GRAM" or "upgrade your Toncoin" is a fraud attempt designed to drain your wallet. The official TON channels have explicitly warned that all such messages are scams. If a platform you use still shows "Toncoin" or "TON," that's just a slow label update — your funds don't need rescuing.

Two lookalike tokens also add noise. GRM is a separate low-value token on the TON network, and GRAMPUS is an unrelated Web3 gaming project that sometimes displays a GRAM ticker. The real GRAM is the multi-billion-dollar native asset of The Open Network — if the market cap in front of you isn't in the billions, it's not the same token.

Can you gamble with GRAM?

Yes. GRAM is an available coin at Shuffle's crypto casino, so you can deposit it, play with it, and withdraw it directly. One wallet covers the casino, Shuffle Originals, and the sportsbook, alongside BTC, ETH, USDT, SOL, LTC, and other cryptocurrencies — see the full list in the supported cryptocurrencies guide.

One detail matters more than usual with this token: GRAM is available on the TON network only. In Shuffle's wallet, look for Gram (GRAM) in the coin list. When you deposit or withdraw, make sure your own wallet is set to the TON network/chain before sending — funds sent over the wrong network can be lost. If your external wallet still labels the token "Toncoin" or "TON" during the transition period, that's the same asset; check the network, not the name.

As with any crypto, GRAM's price moves constantly, so the fiat value of your balance can change between deposit and withdrawal. Only ever play with funds you can afford to lose.

FAQ

What is GRAM crypto?

GRAM is the new name for Toncoin, the native token of The Open Network (TON) blockchain. The rename took effect on June 15, 2026. It's the same asset with a new name, ticker, and logo — nothing else changed.

Do I need to swap my Toncoin for GRAM?

No. The rename was automatic at a 1:1 ratio. There is no swap, bridge, migration, or claim process, and any message telling you otherwise is a scam.

Is the TON blockchain also being renamed?

No. The blockchain keeps the name The Open Network (TON). Only the token was renamed, from Toncoin to GRAM.

Why was the token originally called Gram?

Gram was the name in Telegram's 2018 whitepaper — a play on the last syllable of "Telegram" and a weight-unit pun alongside TON. The SEC blocked that original token sale, the community renamed the asset Toncoin in 2020, and the 2026 rebrand restored the original name.

Is GRAM crypto related to the gram unit of weight?

No. GRAM is named after Telegram, the app the token was originally designed for. The overlap with the weight unit is wordplay — TON (the network) and Gram (the token) happen to bracket the scale of mass units, but neither name refers to measurement.

Can I deposit GRAM at Shuffle?

Yes. GRAM appears as Gram (GRAM) in Shuffle's coin list and is available for deposits, play, and withdrawals. It's supported on the TON network only, so make sure your wallet is set to the TON chain before sending.

Where does the GRAM ticker appear now?

Major exchanges and wallets updated through late June 2026. Trading pairs that showed TON/USDT now show GRAM/USDT. Some older articles and slower apps may still display Toncoin during the transition.

Gambling involves risk. Set loss limits and wager limits, take breaks, and never bet more than you can afford to lose. If gambling stops being fun, support is available through Shuffle's responsible gambling resources. 18+.