TON Price Jumps 13% After Rebrand to Gram
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced Toncoin (TON) will rebrand to Gram, the original name. The token surged 13% to $2.12, part of a "Make TON Great Again" push as Telegram takes over network development. The rebrand, set to complete in three weeks, reignites excitement despite TON being down 74% from its 2024 peak.
Quick Take
Toncoin (TON) rebrands to Gram, returning to the 2020 original name.
Price surged 13% to $2.12, with an intraday high of $2.26.
Telegram replaced TON Foundation as network driver in May.
TON remains 74% below its $8.25 peak from the 2024 gaming craze.
Market Impact Analysis
BullishRebranding to original name and Telegram's deeper involvement may attract users and liquidity, boosting price.
Speculation Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Toncoin (TON) surges 13% to $2.12 after Telegram announces it will rebrand the token to Gram—the original name from the 2020 whitepaper.
- Pavel Durov confirmed the rebrand as part of a “Make TON Great Again” initiative, with Telegram now acting as the network’s primary driver.
- Telegram officially replaced the TON Foundation as the driving force behind The Open Network in May, taking on the role of largest validator.
- Despite the jump, TON remains down 74% from its $8.25 peak in 2024, when Tap-to-Earn gaming drove brief hype.
What Happened
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced on Monday that Toncoin (TON) will be rebranded to Gram, reclaiming the name originally proposed in 2020’s TON whitepaper. The Open Network itself will keep the TON branding, but its native token will now be called Gram. The move is the latest step in a “Make TON Great Again” push that began in May when Telegram replaced the TON Foundation as the network’s lead driver and became its largest validator. The market reacted quickly, with TON’s price spiking over 13% to a daily high of $2.26 before settling near $2.12. Durov said the transition will take about three weeks, adding that the rebrand “paves the way for what comes next.” The original Gram token was never launched after Telegram settled with the SEC in 2020.
The Numbers
The token jumped 13% in 24 hours, touching $2.26 before pulling back to $2.12 at time of writing. That keeps TON up roughly 58% over the past month, though still deep in a bear cycle—the price sits 74% below its all-time high of $8.25, set during a brief gaming craze in 2024. Market capitalization and trading volume data were not immediately available, but the sharp intraday move suggests renewed speculative interest ahead of the official rebrand.
Why It Happened
Telegram’s re-entry into crypto is a comeback story. Durov’s team originally conceived the TON blockchain and Gram token but walked away in 2020 under SEC pressure. Community developers kept the network alive, but now Telegram is reasserting control. The rebrand signals a strategic pivot—anchoring the token’s identity to Telegram’s massive user base. The market responded positively because it sees a clearer roadmap: lower transaction fees, faster block times, and the potential for deep integration into the messaging app. “Make TON Great Again” is more than a slogan; it’s a plan to revive a project that once promised to bring crypto to millions of mainstream users.
Broader Impact
The Gram revival carries symbolic weight. It shows that projects once stymied by regulators can find a second life under different structures. Telegram’s pivot from issuer to validator could inspire other apps to integrate blockchains without directly issuing tokens. For The Open Network, replacing the foundation with a corporate driver may raise centralization concerns, but it also brings the resources and attention needed to compete with layer-1 blockchains like Solana and BNB Chain. If successful, Gram could become a blueprint for app-centric tokens.
What to Watch Next
- Track the rebrand rollout over the next three weeks—watch for official wallet updates and exchange ticker changes.
- Look for announcements about Gram integration into Telegram, such as payment features or bot economy support.
- Monitor price action around the $2.26 intraday high; a break above could signal a short-term trend reversal, while failure may lead to consolidation.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Always late to trends?
Join for the latest news, insights & more.
Disclaimer: Bytewit is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data.
© 2026 Bytewit. All Rights Reserved. This article is for informational purposes only.
