How to buy Toncoin (GRAM) and USDT on TON without an exchange

Are Toncoin and GRAM the same coin?

Yes. On June 15, 2026 the native coin of the TON network was renamed: Toncoin became Gram, and the TON ticker changed to GRAM. Pavel Durov proposed the new name on June 1, and holders voted from June 1 to June 8: according to TON, 81.22% of the votes went to the new name. Gram is the name of the coin from Telegram's first white paper in 2018. Back then the project was shut down after a dispute with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and the network was later launched by the community with a coin called Toncoin.

Only the name, ticker and logo changed. The blockchain is still called TON (The Open Network), and addresses, balances and smart contracts stayed the same: 10 TON simply started showing up as 10 GRAM. Exchanges renamed the coin on their own: Bybit suspended TON deposits and withdrawals on June 15 and opened GRAM on June 22, while Binance closed TON trading on June 30 and launched GRAM deposits, withdrawals and trading on July 2.

That is why people still search for the coin under different names: Toncoin, TON, GRAM, Gram. It is one coin, and you can find an overview on the Gram (formerly Toncoin) coin page.

You do not need to swap old TON for GRAM

There is no migration, swap or "claim". The coins that sat in your wallet before June 15 are already GRAM, and there is nothing to click. Any bot, website or "manager" asking you to "migrate TON", "claim GRAM" or connect your wallet for a "token upgrade" is a scammer: a real TON-to-GRAM swap does not exist.

How to buy Toncoin (GRAM): four ways

You can buy GRAM through a crypto exchange service with USDT or bitcoin, on an exchange, with a card in Walt (formerly Wallet in Telegram) or from other people on a P2P marketplace. The main differences are whether you need to sign up and where the coins end up: at your own address or in an account held by the service.

If you would rather not sign up anywhere, the first method is the easiest: an instant crypto exchange with no sign-up sends the coins straight to your wallet, with no intermediate account.

How to exchange USDT or BTC for GRAM without registration

VertEXchange does not need an account, email or phone number: you enter your wallet address, and the GRAM arrives right there. You will need a TON wallet for the swap; we cover which one to pick below.

1. Choose what you send, for example USDT on TRON or BTC, and what you receive: GRAM on the TON network.
2. Choose the rate: floating or fixed.
3. Paste your TON wallet address, preferably the UQ version. If you are receiving to an exchange and it showed you a memo, enter it in the "Recipient memo / tag (optional)" field.
4. Send your coins to the address VertEXchange gives you.
5. The GRAM arrives at the address you entered, and you can check the transfer in a TON block explorer.

Most people buy GRAM with a stablecoin: you can swap USDT TRC20 to Toncoin without opening an exchange account. If your savings are in bitcoin, the same steps let you buy GRAM with bitcoin, without selling BTC or cashing out to a card first.

Other ways to buy GRAM

On an exchange with verification

GRAM trades on major exchanges, including Binance and Bybit. You will need an account with identity verification. After the rename the old TON pairs were closed, so search for the coin by the GRAM ticker. The coins you buy stay in your exchange account: to hold them yourself, withdraw GRAM to your own wallet and select the TON network. You do not need a memo when withdrawing to a personal wallet.

With a card in Walt

Walt is the name, since September 28, 2026, of what used to be Wallet in Telegram, the @walt bot. To buy TON coin with a card, open the top-up section and choose the "Bank card" method. The payment goes through Mercuryo or Alchemy Pay, depending on your country. According to Walt's help center as of September 29, 2026, you need advanced verification in Walt itself plus a separate check with the provider, and the provider may decline cards issued in Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Mongolia. Which coins you can buy with a card depends on your country, so check the list in the app. The coins land in your custodial Walt account.

P2P in Telegram

On the Walt P2P market, sellers post offers, the coins are held in reserve for the deal and go to the buyer once payment is made. Verification is mandatory there. Walt itself warns about the usual schemes: the seller invites you to private messages "for a better rate", sends a fake payment screenshot, or the money arrives from a stranger or in several parts. The only official Walt support is @walt_support. In chats and bots outside the market there is no deal protection at all: if you pay first, everything depends on the honesty of a stranger.

Where to store GRAM in 2027

Over the summer and fall of 2026 almost every TON wallet changed its name, so older guides are confusing.

To buy through a swap service, any wallet where you hold the recovery phrase will do: Keeper, My Wallet, Gram Wallet or DeFi Account. We explained how such a wallet differs from an account held by a service in our guide to custodial vs non-custodial wallets.

TON address starts with UQ or EQ: which one to use

A TON address is a 48-character string that starts with UQ or EQ. Both point to the same account, written with a different flag. EQ is the bounceable address, UQ is the non-bounceable one. There is also a raw format like 0:..., which points to the same wallet.

The difference shows up when a wallet has never sent anything. A transfer to the EQ address of such a wallet bounces back to the sender minus the fee, while a transfer to the UQ address gets credited. That is why wallets show the UQ address, and that is the one to enter when receiving GRAM to a personal wallet. The bounceable format is meant for smart contracts: if a contract rejects a transfer, the coins come back. If an exchange or service gave you an EQ address, copy it as is: their contract is already deployed.

Wallet "activation": there is nothing to pay for

A fresh TON wallet is just an address at first. You can receive GRAM to it right away at the UQ address: the account goes into the uninit state, it has a balance but no wallet code yet. The code deploys automatically with the first outgoing transfer, so that first transfer costs slightly more than the ones after it. TON has no separate paid "activation": if a bot or "support" asks you to pay for activation, it is a scam.

Keep a little GRAM in your wallet for fees. USDT transfers on TON are also paid in GRAM unless your wallet can take the fee in the token itself; Keeper has a feature called Battery for that.

Memo when withdrawing GRAM to an exchange

A personal wallet does not need a memo. An exchange may ask for a comment (Comment, Memo): that is how it knows whose coins arrived at its shared address. Many exchanges have already dropped this: Bybit since January 2025, Binance since September 2025 and MEXC since December 2025 issue personal TON addresses with no memo. The rule is simple: if the exchange shows a memo on its deposit page, enter it in the "Comment" field; if it does not, leave the field empty. If the transfer has already gone out without a comment, see our explainer on what a memo and Destination Tag are.

USDT on TON: how to get it and why

USDT on TON is a jetton-standard token on the TON blockchain. People hold it for transfers inside Telegram: Walt and TON wallets work with USDT on this network, the fee is paid in GRAM, and the recipient address is the same one you use for GRAM.

If your dollars are on TRON, you can move USDT from TRON to the TON network with a swap: you send USDT TRC20 and receive USDT on TON at your own address. The network must match on both ends: USDT on TRON and USDT on TON are different networks, and sending to the wrong one is a common way to lose money. We wrote about it in the article on what to do if you sent USDT to the wrong network.

Mistakes that cost people their GRAM

• Exchange address without the memo. If the exchange showed a comment and you did not enter it, the coins will sit at its shared address until you contact support.
• EQ address of a new wallet. The transfer will bounce back to the sender minus the fee. For a personal wallet, use the UQ address.
• Paying for "activation". The wallet deploys itself with the first outgoing transfer, and nobody needs to be paid for it.
• Fake bots. After all the renames, clones with similar names and logos have appeared. Open Walt and your wallets yourself, through search or the official website, not through forwarded links.
• Fake GRAM tokens. Real GRAM is the native coin of the TON network. A jetton called GRAM that "lands" in your wallet or is sold in a bot is a fake.
• TON to GRAM "migration". It does not exist: anyone offering to swap your old TON for new GRAM wants access to your wallet.

FAQ

Is Toncoin the same as GRAM?

Yes. On June 15, 2026 Toncoin was renamed Gram with the ticker GRAM. The network is still called TON, and balances and addresses did not change.

Do I need to swap my old TON for GRAM?

No. The coins were converted automatically one to one, with no swap or migration. An offer to "migrate" or "claim" GRAM is a sign of a scam.

Can I buy GRAM without KYC?

Yes, through a swap service with no sign-up: you send USDT or BTC and receive GRAM straight to your own address. Exchanges, card purchases in Walt and its P2P market all require identity verification.

What is the best wallet for GRAM?

Any wallet where you hold the keys: Keeper (formerly Tonkeeper), My Wallet (formerly MyTonWallet), Gram Wallet in Telegram or DeFi Account in Walt. The main Walt account is custodial, so the service controls the coins there.

What is a memo in a GRAM transfer?

It is a comment attached to the transfer that lets an exchange see whose coins arrived at its shared address. You only need it if the exchange shows it on its deposit page.

Why does a TON address sometimes start with UQ and sometimes with EQ?

These are two ways of writing the same address: UQ is non-bounceable, EQ is bounceable. Use UQ for a personal wallet and copy an exchange address as is.

How do I cash out GRAM to USDT?

Sell GRAM on an exchange or exchange Gram to USDT TRC20 without registration: you send GRAM to the address you are given, and the USDT arrives in your wallet on the TRON network.