Basic Attention (BAT) Price

Brave Browser Advances Web3 Integration and User Growth

Brave Browser, led by JavaScript creator Brendan Eich, is strategically expanding its Web3 ecosystem through privacy-centric features and a token economy, demonstrating substantial user growth. Executive Summary Brave Browser, founded by JavaScript creator Brendan Eich, is actively pursuing a Web3 "Super App" strategy, integrating privacy features and a token economy. This approach aims to reshape digital advertising and internet value distribution, demonstrating significant user growth and strategic positioning for mass adoption. The browser combines privacy protection with a Basic Attention Token (BAT) economy, incentivizing users and facilitating value redistribution. The Event in Detail Technical Architecture and Privacy Focus Brave's technical architecture prioritizes privacy with built-in ad and tracker blocking through its "Shields" feature. It includes a native multi-chain Brave Wallet supporting various blockchains, including Solana, NEAR, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Avalanche, and Cardano. The browser also offers privacy tools such as Tor private windows and Brave Search, designed for privacy-centric searches without user profiling. Brendan Eich describes Brave's approach as a "metaphysical rebellion against the big tech surveillance powers that evolved on JavaScript," criticizing internet advertising as an inherently "toxic system." The Basic Attention Token (BAT) Economy The Basic Attention Token (BAT) model forms a closed economic loop designed to redefine digital advertising. Advertisers purchase ad space using BAT. Users who opt to view privacy-respecting ads earn BAT, receiving 70% of the ad revenue generated from user ads. Users can then use these tokens to tip content creators or exchange them for other currencies. Brave retains a portion of the ad revenue, specifically a 30% cut from user ads and 15% from publisher-integrated ads. For publisher-integrated ads, content creators receive 70% of the revenue, and users receive 15%. User Growth and Engagement Brave has demonstrated substantial user growth and engagement. As of December 2024, Brave Browser reported 88.1 million monthly active users and 38.6 million daily active users. In May 2024, these figures were 78.95 million monthly active users and 28.64 million daily active users, indicating continued expansion. The browser has strong penetration in North America and Europe, with its user base expanding alongside an 80% organic search query growth for Brave Search in 2024. Market Implications Driving Web3 Mass Adoption Brave is positioned to significantly drive Web3 mass adoption by onboarding Web2 users through a familiar, privacy-centric browser interface. Its integrated wallet and token economy streamline the user experience for engaging with decentralized applications (dApps) and managing crypto assets directly within the browser, reducing common barriers to entry for new Web3 users. This strategy aims to establish a new standard for browser-wallet integration and potentially reshape the digital advertising market. Competitive Landscape and "Web3 Super App" Ambition Brave aims to become a "Web3 Super App," integrating browsing, search, asset management, and economic incentives. This ambition places it in direct competition with established browser-wallets like MetaMask, which is widely used for connecting to dApps. While MetaMask offers a secure vault for keys and token exchange, Brave's integrated wallet eliminates the need for extensions, potentially reducing exposure to fraudulent applications and enhancing security. Brave's comprehensive suite of features, including Brave Leo (AI assistant), Firewall + VPN, and Brave Search, further positions it as a holistic Web3 ecosystem. Expert Commentary Brendan Eich, CEO and co-founder of Brave, stated that the company is engaged in a "metaphysical rebellion" against Big Tech surveillance, asserting that "internet advertising is inherently a ‘toxic system’ where involved parties are ‘all fighting each other and cheating each other.’" He emphasizes the potential of blockchain technology, including ZK Proofs for privacy and "proof of humanity" for fraud prevention, to enable a more private, browser-native advertising system. Eich advocates for faster, privacy-by-design blockchains to achieve this vision. Broader Context BAT Roadmap 3.0 and Future Growth The focus for BAT Roadmap 3.0, published in November 2024, is on-chain growth. This involves disintermediating how BAT flows through the Brave Rewards and Brave Creators ecosystems, expanding self-custody options for payments, and providing new avenues for users to earn and utilize BAT. The roadmap includes plans for Brave Rewards 3.0 in Q1 2025, introducing new earning methods like quests and surveys, and enhancing self-custody payout options across a wider range of blockchains and Layer 2 networks. The strategy also seeks to promote BAT adoption across all compatible blockchains and integrate BAT utility within dApps and creator platforms. Brave Search Advertising Success Brave Search Ads have demonstrated significant growth, reporting a 15x increase in click volume from January to December 2024 across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. This growth is attributed to the continued expansion of the Brave Browser user base and the effectiveness of its search engine advertising model, which targets top paid search advertisers in its primary regions. Brave Search queries also saw an 80% increase in organic growth during the same period, reaching 1.19 billion queries by December 2024.