The Open Network (GRAM): how it works, supply and reviews
In short
- Type
- Layer-1 blockchain with a masterchain, workchains and automatic dynamic sharding
- Initial distribution
- 98.55% of the supply was placed in Giver smart contracts for open proof-of-work mining from July 2020
- Risks and caveats
- Telegram is becoming the network's largest validator, which concentrates influence in one company.
- Checked
- 31 October 2026
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Key facts
- Ticker
- GRAM (Toncoin/TON until 15 June 2026)
- Official site
- ton.org
Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.
What is The Open Network
The Open Network (TON) is a proof-of-stake layer-1 blockchain originally designed by Telegram and now developed with the open-source community. It is integrated into the Telegram messenger. Its native coin, called Toncoin until June 2026 and Gram (GRAM) since, pays fees and is staked by validators.
Network and consensus
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Layer-1 blockchain with a masterchain, workchains and automatic dynamic sharding |
| Consensus | Proof of stake; validators run Catchain 2.0, a version of the Simplex protocol |
| Block time | About 0.4 seconds per block and about 0.6 seconds to finality |
| Smart contracts | Yes; contracts run on the stack-based TON Virtual Machine (TVM), written in Tolk or FunC |
| Validators | Technical minimum stake 300,000 GRAM; in practice about 1,000,000 GRAM |
Supply and issuance
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Initial distribution | 98.55% of the supply was placed in Giver smart contracts for open proof-of-work mining from July 2020 |
| Issuance | Initial mining distribution ended on 17 June 2022 |
| Staking rewards | Holders earn rewards by locking Gram for validation, directly or through nominator and liquid-staking pools |
What GRAM is used for
- Paying network fees (fixed, not dependent on load)
- Staking for validation
- Voting on network matters
- Payments inside Telegram, such as Telegram Stars, Premium and ad payouts
Who develops and governs The Open Network
- Founders
- Original design by Dr. Nikolai Durov of Telegram, described in a series of whitepapers
- Developer
- Developed by Telegram and the open-source community; Telegram is becoming its largest validator
- Governance
- Validators vote on network upgrades; token-holder votes run on TON Vote, weighted by balances
- Open source
- Yes; node, validator and compiler code is in the ton-blockchain GitHub monorepo
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Dr. Nikolai Durov writes the original Telegram Open Network whitepapers, which named the token Gram. |
| July 2020 | 98.55% of the coin supply becomes available for open mining through Giver contracts. |
| 17 June 2022 | The last Toncoin is mined, completing the initial distribution. |
| April 2026 | Catchain 2.0 consensus is activated, bringing sub-second finality. |
| 15 June 2026 | After a community vote (81.22% in favour), the native coin is renamed from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM); no swap or migration. |
Security and audits
- A permanent bug bounty pays up to $100,000 in Grams or USDt for vulnerabilities in the TON node code or standard contracts.
- The rename to Gram required no action; offers to "claim GRAM" or "migrate TON" are scams.
Risks and caveats
- Telegram is becoming the network's largest validator, which concentrates influence in one company.
- Fake 'migration' or 'claim' offers appeared around the 2026 rename; no user action was needed.
- Validation needs a large stake (about 1,000,000 GRAM in practice), so most holders stake through pools.
Official links
- Website: ton.org
- Docs: docs.ton.org
- Whitepaper: docs.ton.org/foundations/whitepapers/overview
- Source code: github.com/ton-blockchain/ton
- Announcements: t.me/gram
Questions and answers
What is TON?
The Open Network (TON) is a proof-of-stake layer-1 blockchain designed by Telegram and integrated into the Telegram messenger.
Is Toncoin now called Gram?
Yes. After a community vote, the native coin was renamed from Toncoin (TON) to Gram (GRAM) on 15 June 2026. Balances and addresses did not change.
Who created TON?
The original design was written by Dr. Nikolai Durov of Telegram; today it is developed by Telegram and the open-source community.
How was Toncoin distributed?
98.55% of the supply was released through open mining from July 2020 until the last coin was mined on 17 June 2022.
How fast is TON?
Blocks take about 0.4 seconds and finality about 0.6 seconds since the Catchain 2.0 consensus upgrade.
Sources
- TON — home page
- TON Docs — Whitepapers overview
- TON Docs — Staking overview
- TON monorepo README (GitHub)
- TON bug bounty (GitHub)
- The Open Network — Toncoin mining has successfully ended (17 June 2022)
- Gram of TON — official Telegram channel (rename announcements, June 2026)
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