Gram (prev. Toncoin) (TON): questions and answers
Every answer below is written from the sources listed at the end of this page, with the date each one was checked.
The question that decides how you read Gram (prev. Toncoin)
TON is the only major network whose original creator was legally required to walk away from it. What does a blockchain inherit when the company that designed it is barred from finishing it?
In early 2018 Telegram raised roughly $1.7 billion from a small group of purchasers to build a blockchain that would sit alongside a messaging app with hundreds of millions of users. The technical premise was sharding at a scale no live network had attempted: a hierarchy of workchains and shardchains that could split further as demand grew.
The legal premise was the problem. The sale was structured as future-delivery agreements with sophisticated investors, and US regulators treated the arrangement as part of an unregistered securities distribution.
What is still unsettled
The independence question has never been cleanly answered. TON is developed by a separate foundation and community, yet its most valuable distribution channel is the messaging app built by the people who designed it. Where a legally mandated separation ends and a commercial partnership begins is a judgement call, and reasonable observers disagree.
What this means when you swap TON
TON addresses look unlike anything on Bitcoin- or Ethereum-derived chains: base64url strings, commonly beginning `EQ` or `UQ`. That prefix is meaningful. It encodes whether the address is bounceable, which determines what happens if the receiving contract rejects the message — funds either return to you or stay at the destination. Wallets normally pick the right form, but pasting a form you copied from elsewhere can change the behaviour.
Two further cautions. TON and TRON are unrelated networks with confusingly similar names, and mixing them up is a genuine deposit error. And some services require a comment or memo field on TON deposits, so check the instructions rather than assuming the address is sufficient.
Common TON questions
- How do I swap Gram (prev. Toncoin) (TON) instantly on Monivo?
- Pick TON as the asset you want to receive, choose what you're paying with, paste your wallet address, and confirm. Monivo routes your order to the provider offering the best rate, and most swaps complete in under 10 minutes — no account needed.
- Can I swap TON with no KYC?
- Yes. Crypto-to-crypto swaps of TON on Monivo require no identity verification and no sign-up. Only fiat purchases (card or bank transfer) require KYC, because banks and payment processors mandate it.
- Is swapping Gram (prev. Toncoin) on Monivo non-custodial?
- Yes. Monivo never holds your funds. TON is sent directly to the wallet address you provide, so you stay in control the whole time.
- Which network does TON use here?
- Monivo supports Gram (prev. Toncoin) on the TON network. Always double-check that your receiving wallet supports this network before confirming.
- What fees apply when I swap TON?
- Monivo adds zero fees on top. The quote you see already reflects the best aggregated rate across connected providers, including their network and processing costs — all fees are included in the shown amount.
- What moves the TON price?
- TON trades mostly on ecosystem news rather than its own fundamentals: activity in Telegram-linked apps and wallets, exchange listings and delistings, and the broader risk appetite that moves every large-cap altcoin at once. Supply-side events — unlocks, staking flows and validator rewards — set the floor of selling pressure underneath that.
- Can anyone predict the TON price?
- No. Price-prediction pages present model output as forecast; nobody, including us, knows where TON will trade. What you can check is the live rate, the 24-hour move, market cap and volume shown above, and the spread you would actually pay to swap — that last number is the only one that affects what you receive today.
- Is TON the same thing as TRON?
- No. The Open Network (TON) and TRON (TRX) are entirely separate blockchains with different addresses, different assets and no shared history. The similar names cause real deposit mistakes — confirm which network the receiving service expects before sending.
- What do the `EQ` and `UQ` prefixes on a TON address mean?
- They indicate whether the address is bounceable. A bounceable address returns funds if the receiving contract cannot process the message; a non-bounceable one does not. Use the exact address form the recipient gives you rather than converting it yourself.
- Does TON still belong to Telegram?
- No. Telegram settled with US regulators in 2020, returned funds to purchasers and abandoned the project; independent developers continued the network from its open-source code. The messaging app later added wallet integrations, which is a commercial relationship rather than ownership.
Sources and dates (7)
- Telegram settled with the SEC, returning $1.224 billion and paying an $18.5 million penalty. SEC press release · 2020-06-26 · checked 2026-09-22
- The court entered a final judgment setting out the injunction and notice obligations. SDNY final judgment · 2020-06-26 · checked 2026-09-22
- The disgorgement amount was reduced by purchaser claims converted into loans to the company. SEC letter to the court · 2020-06 · checked 2026-09-22
- TON addresses use bounceable and non-bounceable forms that change failure behaviour. TON developer documentation · checked 2026-09-22
- IQ.wiki records Toncoin's origin as Gram in Telegram's blockchain project. IQ.wiki · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23
- Messari maintains a research profile for The Open Network and its TON asset. Messari · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23
- CoinGecko maintains the live TON market page under the Toncoin asset name. CoinGecko · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23