Popular privacy-focused web browser Brave announced today a landmark integration with the Solana blockchain. The browser will now allow a select number of users to earn Basic Attention Token (BAT) rewards on-chain with the option to receive their monthly earnings using a Solana-supported wallet.
For beginners, the Brave BAT rewards program is a novel advertising model that allows users of the browser to earn crypto rewards for opting into viewing ads on the application. Users can opt to withdraw their rewards through a crypto exchange or simply use it to reward creators who have signed up Brave Rewards’.
The latest development marks a new approach for Brave, which has, until now, only allowed users to claim rewards using custodial platforms like Uphold. The long-term goal for the browser is to eventually roll out on-chain rewards for its broad user base, which now numbers over 50 million monthly active users.
Brave Rewards is officially going on-chain with @Solana! ⛓️🎉
Starting today, select users will have the option to receive their monthly $BAT rewards to a Solana address they own. Details in thread 👇 pic.twitter.com/1bjPGXn3yf
— Brave Software (@brave) February 22, 2024
Brave Doubles Down on Solana Partnership
The option for users to earn BAT rewards on Solana evidently marks another synergy in a partnership that Brave first disclosed in November 2021. Under the partnership, Brave integrated Solana support on its Web3 wallet and has now followed it up by introducing a channel that onboards its tens of millions of users into the SOL ecosystem.
Commenting on why it chose Solana for the on-chain rewards process, Brave noted that the network offers “ultra-low-cost” transactions “with speed expected from everyday consumer apps.”
Meanwhile, Brave users who are eligible for the initial rollout may have already received a notification on their browser panel urging them to accept the invitation. Once invited, users can sign up using their Brave wallet or the more widely used Phantom extension. Then, they can receive BAT rewards in SPL-BAT, a Solana-based version of the rewards token.
The price of BAT has surged 4.4% following news of the latest integration with Solana. Solana’s native coin SOL, however, has not enjoyed a similar outcome, dropping 1% in the past 24 hours.
