GRAMprev. Toncoin Price

The GRAM token (formerly Toncoin/TON) experienced a sharp decline of nearly 6% early on August 4th following the temporary removal of Telegram from the App Store. Apple removed the app for approximately one hour due to user-posted content violating its policies against child sexual exploitation material. After Telegram promptly removed the content and blocked the user, the app was reinstated. Following Telegram's return to the App Store, the GRAM price partially recovered. It had been trading around $1.41 before the news, dropped to $1.32, and was around $1.38 later that day. The token's reaction to Telegram-related news is often mixed. While it surged 20% on the heels of a June rebranding and rose 7% after an announcement about a major non-custodial wallet launch, it showed little sustained movement in response to legal issues involving Telegram founder Pavel Durov. GRAM reached its all-time high of $8.24 in the summer of 2024, meaning its current price represents a decline of roughly 83% from that peak.

Cybercriminals are exploiting news surrounding Telegram and its founder Pavel Durov to launch new phishing schemes targeting the Gram cryptocurrency. They create fake websites and Telegram bots, designed to mimic official platforms, to pressure users. Common tactics include urging people to urgently exchange old tokens, withdraw funds ahead of an alleged platform block, or receive free crypto through special services. Experts note a sharp rise in suspicious domain registrations mentioning Telegram, Durov, or Gram, with phishing domains doubling recently. The scams rely not on hacking technology, but on psychological manipulation—leveraging fear of loss, promises of easy profits, and a false sense of urgency. The fraudsters build complex "ecosystems of false trust," guiding victims from search results to channels, bots, and ultimately fake sites to steal seed phrases or authorize transactions. Officials warn that Telegram does not distribute cryptocurrency or conduct token conversions via third-party sites. The primary defense remains user caution: avoid clicking promotional links, never enter seed phrases on external sites, and use only official Telegram services for crypto wallets.

TON Strategy, the company managing the cryptocurrency treasury for The Open Network (TON) ecosystem, reported its Q2 results. The company generated $15 million in revenue from staking Gram (the rebranded native asset, formerly Toncoin) and increased its reserve to approximately 230.5 million tokens. This represents about 4.4% of Gram's total supply and 35% of all tokens staked on the network. The staking yield for the quarter was approximately 17%, attributed partly to the Catchain 2.0 consensus update which sped up block creation. The company's fair value of digital assets rose to about $369.5 million from $272 million in Q1. Net profit from continuing operations before tax was $83.5 million, a significant turnaround from a $91.3 million loss in the prior quarter, heavily influenced by an $82.8 million net gain from the change in Gram's fair value. TON Strategy also completed measures to wind down legacy operations, terminating contracts and reducing staff costs, which is expected to cut annual cash operating expenses by around $4 million. CEO Kevin Wilson stated the company now has a more focused business model centered on accumulating Gram and developing the TON ecosystem. He highlighted TON's growing integration with Telegram, its increased speed and lower fees, and its potential role in payments, digital ownership, and AI agents capable of transacting on behalf of users.

Telegram has applied for the new top-level domain ".gram," founder Pavel Durov announced. If approved by ICANN, the service's over one billion monthly users could claim second-level domains (like yourname.gram) and, with a single click, create interactive websites hosted on Telegram's platform. This move follows recent instability with Telegram's "t.me" short links, which were temporarily disabled for nearly a day in July due to a domain registrar's compliance action related to a US sanctions list. Owning its own TLD would give Telegram greater control over its links and help mitigate similar disruptions. The application aligns with Telegram's broader stance on resisting government surveillance and content censorship, as the platform has faced conflicts and penalties in regions like the EU, Russia, and Ukraine. It also comes shortly after Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store for policy-violating content, a decision Durov criticized as an overreaction.

The cryptocurrency Gram (associated with the TON ecosystem and Toncoin) declined following reports that Russian FSB authorities have charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with complicity in terrorist activities. The price fell by approximately 2.29% to $1.42. The article explains that Gram was originally intended as the token for Telegram's TON blockchain project but was halted due to legal pressure from the SEC. Development then shifted to The Open Network and its Toncoin token, though market confusion between the similarly named assets persists. The recent price drop is attributed directly to the news about Durov's legal situation. His lawyer has suggested cooperation with the FSB could mitigate risks, noting Durov's dual citizenship in France and the UAE offers legal protection. Concurrently, Russian lawmakers have suggested Telegram could be declared a terrorist resource, alleging it is used by Ukrainian services to recruit operatives for attacks within Russia. Overall, Gram's value is shown to be highly sensitive to legal and political developments surrounding its associated figure, Pavel Durov, and the Telegram ecosystem.