History of TON and Gram
The Open Network (TON) project originated in 2018, conceived and launched by Telegram founder Pavel Durov, initially named Telegram Open Network, with its native token Gram. The project successfully raised $1.7 billion through two private funding rounds, aiming to build a decentralized internet platform.
However, in October 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Telegram, alleging that Gram tokens were unregistered securities. Following legal proceedings, Telegram reached a settlement with the SEC in May 2020, agreeing to cease the TON project, refund $1.22 billion to investors, and pay an $18.5 million penalty. Subsequently, a community of independent developers took over TON's open-source code, renaming the project "The Open Network" and the token to Toncoin, to avoid association with Telegram and its previous legal disputes.
MTONGA Roadmap: Halfway Through Seven Steps
In April 2026, Pavel Durov re-engaged, launching a seven-step roadmap called "Make TON Great Again" (MTONGA), aimed at upgrading The Open Network and achieving deep integration with Telegram. As of June 2026, four steps of this roadmap have been completed, marking "over halfway" progress:
- Speed Upgrade: The introduction of the Catchain 2.0 consensus mechanism has increased network speed by approximately 10 times. Transaction confirmation time has been significantly reduced, with block time around 0.4 seconds and final confirmation taking only 0.6 seconds.
- Fee Reduction: Transaction fees have been drastically cut by six times, reaching near-zero levels. For example, Gram transfer fees are approximately 0.00039 Gram, and USDT transfer fees are about 0.001 Gram.
- Telegram Becomes Largest Validator: Telegram has replaced the TON Foundation as the primary administrator and largest validator of the network, indicating its control over the network's future direction.
- Token Renamed Gram: On June 15, 2026, after a community vote with 81.22% support, Toncoin officially reverted to its original name from Telegram's 2018 whitepaper—Gram (token ticker GRAM). This renaming does not require users to perform any token exchange or migration.
The remaining three steps of the MTONGA roadmap have not yet been announced.
Gram Renaming: Return to Roots and Strategic Significance
The renaming of Toncoin to Gram is not only a crucial step in the MTONGA roadmap but also carries significant symbolic and strategic meaning. It reconnects the token with Telegram's original vision and brand, signaling a "return to its roots." Pavel Durov has stated that this move may also hint at confidence in the current regulatory environment, suggesting that Telegram, having learned from past experiences, is pursuing its blockchain vision in a more mature and compliant manner.
What Underpins MTONGA's Revival?
TON, driven by the MTONGA roadmap, is showing strong signs of revival, primarily supported by the following factors:
- Telegram's Massive User Base and Deep Integration: Telegram boasts over 1 billion global active users, providing Gram with an unprecedented potential adoption scale. Durov's goal is to establish TON as the payment and application layer within Telegram, meaning Gram is poised to become the core medium for digital asset transactions, payments, and application interactions for this vast user base.
- Pavel Durov's Personal Leadership and Strategic Vision: As the founder of Telegram, Durov's personal charisma and unwavering commitment to the TON project are significant driving forces. His direct leadership of the MTONGA roadmap provides clear strategic direction and strong execution for TON's future development.
- Significant Technological Advancements:
- Speed and Scalability: The Catchain 2.0 consensus mechanism achieves sub-second transaction finality, boosts network speed by 10 times, and has been verified to handle over 100,000 transactions per second (100k+ TPS). Its dynamic sharding capability also allows it to effectively manage high loads.
- Low Fees: The significant reduction in transaction fees makes TON one of the most cost-effective blockchains for high-frequency use cases, which is crucial for mass user adoption.
- Optimized Development Tools: The TON Core 2025 roadmap mentions improvements to Layer 1, validator tools, developer tools, APIs, and smart contracts, including optimization of the TOLK 1.0 programming language and the introduction of a Bitcoin cross-chain mechanism. These enhancements will further lower development barriers and attract more developers.
- Thriving Ecosystem: The TON ecosystem continues to see the emergence of various innovative projects, spanning decentralized finance (DeFi, such as STON.fi, Tonstakers), GameFi (such as Notcoin, Hamster Kombat), NFTs, and Mini Apps. The launch of Agentic Wallets also provides on-chain wallet infrastructure for AI agents, expanding TON's application scenarios.
- Brand Reimagination and Regulatory Signals: Restoring the Gram name not only reconnects the token with Telegram's original brand recognition but may also signal Telegram's confidence in the current regulatory environment to the market, helping to enhance the project's compliance image and market acceptance.
Market Performance and Trading Channels
As of September 1, 2026, Gram's price fluctuates between $1.33 and $1.52, with a market capitalization of approximately $3.6 billion to $4.19 billion. Its 24-hour trading volume ranges from approximately $110,600 to $127 million. Its all-time high price reached $8.25 (June 15, 2024).
Gram can be traded on exchanges that support the token. According to public information, major trading platforms currently supporting Gram include Upbit, WEEX, Bithumb, DigiFinex, and XT.COM, among others. Investors should verify the compliance and security of relevant platforms and fully understand the risks of cryptocurrency investments before trading.
