# Basic Attention Token (BAT): D-Score 29/100 — Centralized Leaning

**BlockIndex D-Score: 29/100 (Centralized Leaning).** Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a Layer 2 cryptocurrency using N/A consensus. Basic Attention Token (BAT): ERC-20 utility token powering Brave’s privacy-first advertising and user reward ecosystem.

_Source: https://blockindex.ai/coin/bat · Data by BlockIndex.AI · Updated 2026-06-19_

## D-Score breakdown (0-100, higher means more decentralized)
| Component | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall D-Score | 29 |
| Node distribution | 0 |
| Initial distribution | 0 |
| Governance | 16 |
| Age and history | 13 |
| Autonomy | 0 |

## Key facts
- Layer: Layer 2
- Consensus: N/A (N/A)
- Launch: ICO (2017)
- Founder: Brendan Eich (Founder & CEO); Brian Bondy (Co‑Founder & CTO)
- VC funded: Yes
- Max supply: 1,500,000,000
- Circulating: 1,495,724,657 (99.7%)

## Market data (as of 2026-06-19)
- Price: $0.09
- Market cap: $134.35M
- 24h volume: $10.52M
- 24h change: -1.54% · 7d change: -1.34%

## About
Basic Attention Token (BAT) is an ERC‑20 utility token designed to power a privacy‑preserving, user‑first digital advertising ecosystem centered on the Brave browser. Conceived by Brendan Eich and Brian Bondy, BAT was launched via a rapid ICO in May 2017 and created a tokenized marketplace that redirects advertising spend toward users and content creators rather than intermediaries. The core proposition is to restore user privacy while enabling more efficient ad targeting: advertisers purchase BAT to run campaigns, publishers receive BAT for content and engagement, and users opt into Brave Rewards to receive micropayments for their attention. Over the years BAT has become tightly coupled to the Brave product, which serves as the primary on‑ramp for token distribution and real‑world utility.

Technically, BAT is an ERC‑20 token issued on the Ethereum network with a fixed maximum supply of 1.5 billion BAT and 18 decimals. Its smart contract source is publicly verifiable on Etherscan and its tokenomics were established at launch: 1,000,000,000 BAT were sold in the ICO and 500,000,000 BAT were reserved (200M development allocation, 300M user growth pool). As a token, BAT inherits the security and consensus properties of its parent chain (Ethereum) and therefore does not maintain its own block production, block timing, or native mining parameters. The project team has signaled multichain ambitions in its BAT Roadmap 3.0, exploring multi‑chain settlement options and integrations (e.g., Solana) to expand wallet compatibility and on‑chain settlement options for Brave Rewards.

BAT’s primary use cases revolve around Brave’s advertising and rewards systems: compensating users for attention, tipping and subscriptions for publishers, and facilitating advertiser payments within a privacy‑forward environment. The product focus—Brave browser adoption, verified creators program, and ad campaign tooling—drives demand more directly than DeFi yield mechanics or staking incentives. Adoption milestones include rapid ICO distribution, broad exchange listings and custody support, and rising Brave usage metrics (tens of millions of monthly active users across product lifecycle snapshots). The token’s distribution is highly complete: circulating supply metrics show near‑full distribution of the 1.5B cap, and large parts of the allocation are in real user wallets tied to Brave activity.

From an economic perspective BAT’s monetary policy is simple and fixed: no built‑in inflation mechanism within the token contract and a hard cap at 1.5 billion BAT. The initial distribution featured a large public sale and substantial programmatic allocations for development and user growth; the result is a high circulating percentage and a mature supply profile with the majority of tokens already distributed. Governance and roadmap decisions are company‑driven by Brave Software, Inc., with product and technical updates communicated via official Brave channels. There is no formal on‑chain DAO governance described in the provided materials; decision making and development priorities remain largely centralized within Brave and its engineering leadership.

Looking forward, BAT’s roadmap emphasizes deeper product integration, multichain settlement, and expanded earning mechanics inside Brave Rewards (Brave Rewards 3.0). Key risks are tied to advertiser demand cycles, regulatory clarity around utility tokens and advertising payments, and dependence on Brave’s product adoption metrics. Strengths include a clear product‑market fit, extensive exchange and wallet support, verified contract sources, and a mature supply distribution. Continued multichain work and evolving Brave features are the primary levers that could materially expand BAT’s utility beyond the browser‑native attention economy.

## Links
- Website: https://basicattentiontoken.org/
- Whitepaper: https://basicattentiontoken.org/static-assets/documents/BasicAttentionTokenWhitePaper-4.pdf
- GitHub: https://github.com/brave/brave-browser

---
About the D-Score: BlockIndex.AI rates decentralization from 0 to 100 across node distribution, initial distribution, governance, age and history, and autonomy. Methodology: https://blockindex.ai/dscore