Author: Winnie, CryptoPulse Labs

On June 9, the results of the TON Vote community governance were announced. More than 81% of voters supported changing the native token name from Toncoin to Gram, and the token code will also change from TON to GRAM, scheduled to officially take effect on June 15.

On the surface, this is just a branding upgrade, but for old players who experienced the Telegram token debacle, the name “Gram” carries the original ideals and stories of TON.

More importantly, in the context of Telegram's monthly active users exceeding 1 billion, the TON ecosystem re-entering a growth cycle, and the rapid expansion of on-chain payment and Mini App ecosystems, this renaming may not be just as simple as changing a logo.

1. The Brand Upgrade of TON: Gram Officially Returns to the Crypto Market

Let’s turn back the clock to 2018, when Telegram founder Pavel Durov launched the TON (Telegram Open Network) plan, aiming to create a blockchain network covering hundreds of millions of users globally.

The project white paper at that time clearly stated that the network’s native currency would be called “Gram.”

During the ICO frenzy, TON once set a record of $1.7 billion in funding, regarded as one of the most promising blockchain projects for large-scale implementation.

However, in 2020, the U.S. SEC sued Telegram for allegedly issuing unregistered securities. Ultimately, Telegram was forced to halt project development and refund investors.

Many thought TON was over, but the story didn’t end there.

Subsequently, the code was taken over by an open-source community and continued to be developed, gradually evolving into today’s The Open Network. To distinguish it from the original project, the community renamed the token to Toncoin, while retaining the token code as TON.

After years of development, TON has once again become one of the mainstream public chains. And now, with the token officially renamed to Gram, this long-dormant name finally returns to the market’s sight.

An important step in the “Make TON Great Again” plan. The official statement indicated that this renaming belongs to the fourth step of the “Make TON Great Again (MTGA)” seven-step strategy.

From public information, the TON team is pushing for a comprehensive brand overhaul. This upgrade mainly includes the renaming of Toncoin to Gram, changing the TON code to GRAM, launching a new logo and visual system, synchronizing updates for wallets and ecosystem applications, and gradually adapting trading platforms.

It is worth noting that only the token brand is changing; the blockchain network retains the name “The Open Network.” In other words, the TON chain is still the TON chain, only its on-chain currency is being named back to Gram.

This is similar to how the Ethereum network retains its Ethereum name, while ETH suddenly changes its name. Thus, this is not a technical upgrade, but a brand strategy adjustment.

In the crypto market, narratives are often more important than technology. For many old players, Gram represents TON’s original dream. It is the story of 2018 that aimed to bring blockchain to hundreds of millions of users globally, and it is also an important symbol of Telegram's challenge to the traditional financial system.

2. From Public Chain Competition to Brand Competition, TON is Seeking Differentiation

If we rewind two years back, TON may not have had the conditions to change its name, but the situation today is completely different.

Over the past year, Telegram has become one of the fastest-growing Web3 traffic entry points globally. Especially after the explosive success of phenomenal applications such as Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, a large number of users are encountering on-chain assets for the first time.

The user scale of the TON ecosystem is rapidly expanding, with a continuous increase in the number of wallets, on-chain active addresses, payment scenarios, and developers.

For TON, it is no longer an experimental project; it has begun to evolve into a large ecosystem with a genuine user base. Against this backdrop, the timing for a brand upgrade has matured. Restarting “Gram” may further strengthen Telegram's gene.

In fact, “Toncoin” has always had a problem. Although it highly aligns with the name of the TON network, it lacks sufficiently distinctive brand memory points.

Gram, on the other hand, is deeply tied to Telegram's history. Whenever Gram is mentioned, old users will think of a series of keywords such as Telegram, Pavel Durov, $1.7 billion funding, global payment vision, Web3 super applications, etc. This brand equity is something Toncoin cannot provide.

For TON, reusing Gram is equivalent to reactivating a long-dormant brand value. This can help TON establish a more unique recognition tag in the fiercely competitive public chain market.

The current competition in the Layer 1 track is becoming increasingly intense. Beyond Ethereum, new public chains such as Solana, Sui, and Aptos are all vying for users and developers.

The technical gap is gradually narrowing; what can truly create a difference is now becoming branding and traffic.

From this perspective, TON's greatest advantage is not TPS or Gas fees, but the underlying Telegram. With over 1 billion users globally, this is a moat that other public chains find hard to replicate. The name Gram can further strengthen this association.

In the future, when users mention Gram, they will think of not just a token, but a whole set of Telegram ecosystem, which is exactly the effect TON hopes to achieve.

3. From Token Upgrade to Ecosystem Expansion, Can Gram Open New Space?

From historical experiences, the cryptocurrency circle often reacts positively to brand upgrades. Whether it’s project renaming, token splits, or visual upgrades, they can become the focal points of short-term funding attention.

The reason is simple: brand upgrades mean new stories. And the market loves to tell stories; this return of Gram also has this attribute.

In the near term, “Gram Resurrection” is likely to become the new communication theme of the TON ecosystem. For the trading market, this narrative is expected to enhance attention and capital inflows.

Of course, merely changing the name cannot support the price in the long term. What truly determines value is still the ecological development, and the Telegram payment system may be further improved.

Compared to short-term price fluctuations, what is more worth attention is TON’s future payment layout. From the very beginning, Gram was positioned as a digital payment currency. Its goal is not just to be an investment asset but to serve as a medium for value exchange within the Telegram ecosystem.

Now, with the development of the Telegram Stars system, the expansion of the Mini App ecosystem, and the increase in on-chain payment scenarios, the application space for Gram is gradually opening up.

If Telegram further integrates the payment system in the future, then Gram may take on a more core role, which is also one of the long-term logics that the market is most concerned about.

In the past few years, most public chains have been competing for developers. However, TON seems to have chosen a different path; it aims to embed blockchain directly into the social platform that users are already accustomed to.

This model is somewhat similar to the development path of WeChat Pay, where users do not need to understand the underlying technology; they just need to complete payments, transfers, tips, or gaming operations while the blockchain remains behind the scenes.

If this model ultimately works, TON may become the first Web3 network to truly achieve landing with a user base of hundreds of millions. And Gram will be the core value carrier within this ecosystem.

Therefore, the significance of this renaming may far exceed market expectations; it is not only a brand return but may also be the beginning of TON re-defining its positioning.

Conclusion

For the market, Gram is not just a token name; it represents the dream of Telegram to build a global digital economy network.

And now, amid the continuous integration of Telegram traffic, on-chain payments, Mini App ecosystems, and AI applications, this dream may be welcoming a second opportunity.

In the coming years, what is truly worth paying attention to may not be that TON has changed its name, but whether Gram can leverage Telegram’s vast user network to grow into the first truly global internet currency in the crypto industry.

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