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What Is Basic Attention Token?

Basic Attention Token (BAT) is an Ethereum-based utility token that powers the Brave Browser's advertising ecosystem. Created by Brendan Eich, the inventor of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla and Firefox, BAT launched via an initial coin offering in May 2017 that raised $35 million in under 30 seconds, making it one of the fastest ICOs in cryptocurrency history. BAT aims to fix the broken digital advertising model by creating a transparent marketplace that fairly compensates users, advertisers, and content creators.

The digital advertising industry suffers from deep structural problems. Middlemen consume an estimated 70% of ad revenue before it reaches publishers. Users are tracked by dozens of third-party trackers on major websites, consuming mobile data and battery life while compromising privacy. Ad fraud costs advertisers billions of dollars annually through bots and fake impressions. BAT and the Brave Browser were designed as a comprehensive response to these issues.

The Brave Browser is a privacy-focused web browser that blocks third-party ads and trackers by default. Users can opt in to Brave Ads (privacy-preserving advertisements delivered as system notifications) and earn BAT for viewing them. All ad matching happens locally on the user's device using machine learning algorithms, so personal data never leaves the browser. This approach gives users control over their attention while providing advertisers with better engagement metrics and verified human views rather than bot traffic.

BAT circulates through the Brave ecosystem in three ways: users earn BAT for viewing ads, creators receive BAT through tips and contributions from users and from their share of ad revenue, and advertisers spend BAT to purchase ad campaigns through Brave's self-serve ad platform. The Brave Rewards system allows users to automatically contribute BAT to the websites they visit most, creating a new model for funding web content without relying on invasive tracking. Publishers and YouTube creators can register as verified Brave creators to receive contributions directly.

BAT has a fixed total supply of 1.5 billion tokens. Of these, 1 billion were sold during the ICO, while 300 million were allocated to a User Growth Pool (UGP) used to incentivize new users joining the platform through promotional grants. The remaining 200 million were reserved for the development team. Users can withdraw earned BAT through custodial partners such as Uphold and Gemini, converting it to fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies.

Brave has grown significantly since launch, passing 100 million monthly active users in late 2025 and reporting over 120 million users by mid-2026. The browser is available on desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android). Beyond its advertising model, Brave includes features like a built-in VPN, Brave Search (a privacy-focused search engine), Brave Talk (video conferencing), and an integrated crypto wallet that supports Ethereum, Solana, and other networks. The Brave Wallet is a self-custody wallet built directly into the browser, requiring no extensions.

Getting Started With BAT

Unlike most cryptocurrencies, BAT can be earned simply by browsing the web. The Brave Browser handles everything: no exchange account or prior crypto knowledge is needed to start receiving tokens.

  1. Step 1: Download the Brave Browser from brave.com. It is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
  2. Step 2: Enable Brave Rewards in the browser settings to start earning BAT for viewing privacy-respecting ads delivered as system notifications.
  3. Step 3: BAT accumulates in your Brave Rewards wallet. You can tip your favorite content creators, enable auto-contribute to automatically fund the sites you visit most, or withdraw your BAT.
  4. Step 4: To withdraw, connect a custodial account through Uphold or Gemini. You can also purchase additional BAT on an exchange and use it within the Brave ecosystem.

How to Get a BAT Wallet?

Brave Wallet

The Brave Browser includes a built-in cryptocurrency wallet that supports BAT natively. Brave Wallet is a full-featured self-custody wallet that supports Ethereum, Solana, and other networks, with no extension required. BAT earned from Brave Rewards can be managed directly within the browser.

MetaMask

Since BAT is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, it works with any Ethereum wallet. MetaMask is a popular choice for users who want to hold BAT outside the Brave Browser or interact with DeFi protocols.

Hardware Wallets

Ledger and Trezor hardware wallets support BAT as an ERC-20 token. For long-term storage of significant amounts, hardware wallets provide the strongest security.

BAT Resources

How to Buy BAT?

BAT is available on most major cryptocurrency exchanges:

Centralized Exchanges

BAT can be purchased with fiat currency on Coinbase, Kraken, Binance, and Gemini. Most offer BAT/USD and BAT/BTC pairs. Because BAT is an ERC-20 token, it can be withdrawn to any Ethereum-compatible wallet. The easiest way to start accumulating BAT, however, is simply by using the Brave Browser with Rewards enabled (no exchange account required).

Decentralized Exchanges

BAT is traded on Ethereum DEXs including Uniswap and SushiSwap. DEX aggregators like 1inch can help find the best rates across multiple liquidity pools. Since BAT is one of the more liquid ERC-20 tokens, slippage is generally low for typical trade sizes.

Latest BAT News

In July 2026, Brave published BAT Roadmap 4.0, the token's biggest strategic shift since launch. The roadmap extends BAT beyond advertising into everyday payments and AI. Its centerpiece is BravePay, a stablecoin payment protocol for self-custody peer-to-peer transfers using readable ".brave" addresses, alongside a unified Brave Wallet that merges saved cards, self-custody crypto accounts, and Brave Rewards balances into a single interface, and a Brave Rewards Card, a virtual and physical stablecoin-powered payment card that would earn BAT rewards on purchases in eligible countries. The roadmap also proposes a Creator Contribution Protocol that would pay micro-royalties to registered creators when AI products draw on their content, plus browser support for agentic payment standards (x402 and the Machine Payments Protocol) so AI agents can pay for access to protected content.

These remain announced plans rather than shipped features. Brave said community testing of the new wallet was expected in the fall of 2026, and it has not disclosed partners or geographic availability for the Rewards Card.

On the adoption side, Brave passed 100 million monthly active users in late 2025 and reported more than 117 million monthly users by June 2026, rising to over 120 million by July 2026, with over 2 million verified websites and creators registered. The Brave Rewards Partner Program, launched in March 2025, has widened where BAT can be earned and spent by connecting Web3 gaming, research, shopping, and livestreaming services to Brave users through New Tab Takeovers and a Rewards Offer Wall. Brave Search has also emerged as a credible privacy-focused alternative to Google, building its own independent search index rather than relying on Bing or Google results.