What is Gram (prev. Toncoin) (GRAM)?

Deep Dive

1. Origin and Evolution from Telegram

Gram's story begins with Telegram. In 2018, Telegram's founders, Pavel and Nikolai Durov, announced the Telegram Open Network (TON) and its native token, Gram. However, after a 2019 SEC lawsuit, Telegram halted its direct involvement in 2020. The project was then continued by an open-source community of developers, notably supported by the Switzerland-based TON Foundation. In June 2026, a community vote officially renamed the token from Toncoin back to its original name, Gram (GRAM), symbolizing a return to its roots while the underlying blockchain retained The Open Network (TON) name.

2. Technology: The Open Network (TON)

The Open Network is a decentralized layer-1 blockchain designed for scalability and user-friendliness. It uses a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, where validators stake GRAM to secure the network and process transactions. A key innovation is its use of dynamic sharding, which splits the network to process many transactions in parallel, aiming for high throughput and fast finality. This architecture is intended to support low-cost transactions, making it suitable for micropayments and mass adoption.

3. Integration and Utility within Telegram

Gram's most distinctive feature is its deep integration with Telegram, a messaging app with over a billion users. GRAM serves as the core utility token for this ecosystem:

• Network Fuel: It pays for transaction fees and smart contract execution on TON.
• Staking and Governance: Users can stake GRAM to help secure the network and participate in governance decisions.
• In-App Economy: Telegram is rolling out a native, self-custodial Gram Wallet, aiming to provide users with seamless, fee-free crypto transactions directly within the app. This integration seeks to onboard Telegram's vast user base into Web3, using GRAM for payments, digital collectibles, and services.

Conclusion

Fundamentally, Gram is the utility token of a high-performance blockchain uniquely positioned at the intersection of decentralized technology and one of the world's largest messaging platforms. Will its deep integration with Telegram successfully bridge the gap for mainstream crypto adoption?