Toncoin to Gram? Pavel Durov Opens a Vote to Rename TON's Native Coin — and Why .ton Domains Are Safe

The TON community is buzzing. Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram and a driving force behind The Open Network, has opened an on-chain vote proposing that the blockchain's native coin be renamed from Toncoin back to its original name: Gram.

If you own .ton domains, your first reaction might be concern — does a coin rename put your domain names at risk? The short answer is no. Your .ton names are completely safe, and in this article we'll explain exactly why. But first, let's break down what is actually being proposed.

What Pavel Durov Announced

In a message posted to his official Telegram channel, Pavel Durov shared his view that the native asset of The Open Network should return to the name Gram — the name it carried back when Telegram first designed the blockchain during the original TON project.

You can read Pavel's full statement here: Pavel Durov's Telegram message.

The official TON Blockchain account echoed the announcement on X (formerly Twitter): TON Blockchain on X.

The Vote Is On-Chain — Anyone Can Participate

True to TON's decentralized spirit, this is not a top-down decision. The proposal has been turned into a transparent, on-chain governance vote. Token holders can cast their votes directly through the voting smart contract on TON's official governance platform.

You can view and participate in the vote here: Toncoin → Gram vote on ton.vote.

Because the vote lives in a smart contract, the results are public, tamper-proof, and verifiable by anyone — exactly the kind of transparent governance that makes blockchain-based decision making meaningful.

A Quick History: Why "Gram" in the First Place?

When Telegram originally developed The Open Network, the native token was called Gram. After Telegram stepped back from the project for regulatory reasons, the community took over development, and the asset was renamed Toncoin to clearly separate it from the original Telegram-led effort.

Now, with TON thriving and deeply integrated into the Telegram ecosystem once again, the proposal to bring back the Gram name is a symbolic return to the project's roots.

Why Your .ton Domains Are 100% Safe

This is the part that matters most to domain holders. Let's be crystal clear: renaming the native coin does not affect .ton domains in any way. Here is why.

1. Only the coin name is changing — not the blockchain

The proposal is purely about the name of the native asset (Toncoin → Gram). The blockchain itself remains The Open Network (TON). The network's name, its branding, and its identity are unchanged.

Your domains use the .ton top-level domain, which is derived from The Open Network — not from the coin. Since the network is still called TON, the .ton extension stays exactly as it is. There is no proposal, and no technical reason, to change it.

2. .ton domains live in permanent smart contracts

Every .ton domain is an NFT recorded in TON DNS smart contracts on-chain. These contracts are immutable and permanent. A coin rename — or even a much larger rebrand — has no power to alter, delete, or invalidate the ownership records stored in those contracts.

Your domain is yours because the blockchain says so, permanently. No marketing decision can revoke that.

3. Even in a worst-case rebrand, resolution keeps working

Let's take the extreme hypothetical: suppose TON one day rebranded everything. Even then, the underlying smart contracts that map names to addresses would keep functioning exactly as designed, because that's what immutable on-chain code does. The contract doesn't care what the coin is called — it simply resolves names to records, forever.

At Namespace, this is a promise we take seriously: we will continue to resolve registered .ton names forever. Your identity on TON is durable by design.

What This Means for the TON Ecosystem

A return to the Gram name, if approved, would be a meaningful moment for the ecosystem — a nod to TON's origins and its renewed alignment with Telegram. For users, the practical day-to-day experience stays the same: the same network, the same wallets, the same domains, the same smart contracts. Only the ticker and the name of the asset would shift.

For .ton domain holders specifically, the takeaway is simple and reassuring: nothing changes. Your names remain registered, resolvable, and fully under your control.

How to Make Your Voice Heard

If you hold Toncoin and want to weigh in on the future name of TON's native asset, head to the on-chain vote and cast your vote. Governance only works when the community shows up.

Manage Your .ton Domains With Confidence

No matter what the community decides about Toncoin or Gram, your .ton domains are here to stay. You can search, register, and manage them — alongside ENS (.eth), Solana (.sol), and Omani (.om) domains — all in one place on Namespace.

Own your name on The Open Network. Whatever they call the coin, your identity is permanent.