What is Basic Attention Token (BAT) and is it still used?

Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a cryptocurrency built into the Brave web browser to reward people for their attention online. Users can earn it by choosing to see ads that are matched to them privately, and they can pass it on to the websites and creators they read. BAT is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, and Brave also pays it out in a bridged form on Solana.

What is Basic Attention Token (BAT)?

BAT was launched in a token sale on May 31, 2017. TechCrunch reported that it raised about $35 million in under 30 seconds, with one billion BAT sold and another 500 million set aside for user growth and development. The sale was concentrated: around 130 buyers took part, and the 20 largest bought about two thirds. For background on this kind of fundraising, see what is an ICO.

Brave was co-founded by Brendan Eich, who created the JavaScript language and left Mozilla in 2014. The idea behind BAT was to rebuild online advertising so that users, publishers and advertisers trade attention directly, with less tracking and less ad fraud.

What is Basic Attention Token used for?

The main use is Brave Rewards, an optional program inside the browser. According to Brave's help center, it has two parts:

• Brave Ads. Ads are chosen based on interests worked out on your own device, and Brave says no browsing history or personal data leaves the browser. Users who opt in earn BAT for seeing them. Brave states that for eligible ads, users get a share of revenue at least equal to Brave's own share.
• Contributions. Users can send one-time tips in BAT to verified sites and creators, who show a blue checkmark. Recurring monthly contributions work only with custodial payout accounts.

To receive BAT from ads, you connect a payout account, either with a custodial partner or a self-custody wallet. Availability depends on where you live, and some countries are excluded for regulatory reasons. On iOS, Rewards can only be used to support creators. Advertisers and anyone else can also hold and send BAT like any other token.

What happened to Basic Attention Token?

BAT has not been replaced or shut down. The biggest change has been in how it reaches users. Brave now pays users bridged BAT on Solana, alongside the original Ethereum token, and connects payouts through custodial partners or users' own wallets. Brave has also released a stripped-down browser edition, Brave Origin, that leaves out Brave Rewards entirely, along with other extras.

Is Basic Attention Token dead?

No. As of October 2026, BAT is still the reward currency in Brave Rewards, and Brave reported around 115 million monthly active users and about 47 million daily users in April 2026, according to CyberInsider. Not every Brave user turns on Rewards, so browser numbers are an upper bound on BAT use, not a measure of it. Whether the token matters to you depends on whether you use those features. For a framework on judging projects like this, see how to research a crypto project.