Brave crosses 100 million users as Basic Attention price lags

Brave has grown into a browser with more than 100 million monthly users, but that popularity does not automatically translate into success for Basic Attention Token. BAT forms a key part of Brave’s advertising model, rewarding users for their attention. Yet the price now sits miles below the record set in 2021. That raises the question of how much future there is left in Basic Attention.

Basic Attention underpins the advertising model

Brave launched in 2016 and focused heavily on privacy from the outset. The browser blocks ads, trackers and pop-ups by default, preventing users from being followed as they browse the internet.

In 2017, Brave added its own advertising system. At the same time, the project raised $35 million in its Basic Attention Token ICO in under a minute. The idea behind BAT departs from the traditional online advertising model.

Users can choose to view privacy-friendly adverts and receive BAT in return. Advertisers can run campaigns within the ecosystem. Basic Attention Token thus acts as a link between users, advertisers and content creators.

Brave has meanwhile continued to expand its privacy products. The company offers additional services such as a VPN, which lets users encrypt their internet traffic and better shield data such as their IP address.

Brave grows to 104.8 million users

The scale on which Brave now operates is considerable. According to the published figures, the browser has 104.8 million monthly users and around 1.8 million registered creators.

In addition, more than 400 advertisers use the ecosystem and over 3,300 campaigns have been run across 181 countries. Basic Attention Token is said to have more than 10.62 million holders. More than 4.5 million transactions have also been recorded on chain.

Behind Brave stand several well-known names from the technology and crypto worlds. Brendan Eich is co-founder and CEO of Brave, and is also known as the creator of JavaScript and a co-founder of Mozilla. Brian Bondy is co-founder and CTO of Brave. Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox and Greg Badros, a former Google and Meta executive, are also named as figures involved.

The figures show that Brave has built up a substantial user base. For Basic Attention Token, however, what matters most is the extent to which that growth ultimately leads to greater usage of, and demand for, BAT.

Basic Attention sits nearly 97% below record

On the crypto market, the picture is far less positive. At the time the figures were published, Basic Attention was trading at around $0.05851. BAT was down 5.91% in 24 hours and 11.95% lower over the past seven days.

With roughly 1.5 billion BAT in circulation, Basic Attention Token’s market capitalisation comes to about $87.4 million. Trading volume over the past 24 hours stands at approximately $12.9 million.

During the 2021 bull market, BAT reached a record price of $1.92. Compared with the current price of $0.05851, that means Basic Attention Token is trading nearly 97% below its all-time high.

This creates a striking contrast. Brave has more than 100 million monthly users and a genuinely used advertising product, while the associated cryptocurrency has fallen heavily.

Brave’s large reach does not, however, automatically mean that the BAT price will recover. For Basic Attention, the key question is whether the ecosystem’s growth eventually leads to structurally greater demand for the token. Only then might the browser’s success translate more strongly into BAT itself.