Gram (prev. Toncoin)

Gram (GRAM), previously known as Toncoin, is the native token of The Open Network (TON), a general-purpose layer-1 blockchain that lets developers build decentralized applications and tokens. TON is best known for its close relationship with the Telegram messaging app, which has integrated TON-based wallets and payments for its large user base.

The project's origins trace back to Telegram itself, which designed the original Telegram Open Network and planned a token called Gram. After a legal challenge from the US Securities and Exchange Commission over its 2018 token sale, Telegram abandoned the project in 2020. Independent developers, later organized around the TON Foundation, continued building the network as The Open Network, and its coin traded for years as Toncoin before the Gram name was readopted.

How TON works

TON is a Proof of Stake blockchain: validators stake the native token to process transactions and produce blocks, earning rewards for honest participation. The architecture is designed for high throughput, using a flexible sharding design intended to scale as usage grows. The token has no fixed maximum supply; new coins are issued over time as validator rewards, giving it a modestly inflationary supply model.

Within the ecosystem, the token is used to pay transaction fees, stake with validators, and power applications built on the network — from wallets and DeFi services to games and mini-apps distributed through Telegram. That distribution channel is TON's most distinctive asset: few blockchains have a direct integration with a mainstream messaging platform, and much of the network's activity and user growth has come through Telegram-based applications.