Brave, the company recognized for its privacy-centric Brave browser, is taking a significant step forward in enhancing its Rewards program by integrating on-chain Solana payments. This new feature aims to empower its browser users to directly transfer BAT tokens to a self-custody Solana wallet, bypassing centralized exchanges.
Brave adopts Solana wallet for rewards transfer
The decision to adopt Solana stems from its commendable transaction speed and minimal fees, attributes that align with its mission to streamline the distribution of BAT earnings to its vast user base. By leveraging Solana, users can seamlessly earn BAT rewards and utilize them on-chain for various purposes, including supporting creators, token swapping within its Wallet, purchasing SOL domains, participating in Orca liquidity pools, and engaging in NFT transactions with SPL-BAT tokens.
While Solana serves as the inaugural blockchain integration for rewards transfers, the company remains open to exploring other blockchain networks such as Ethereum. Christopher Nguyen, the director of Brave Rewards, emphasized the importance of user choice and hinted at potential collaborations with other prominent players in the Web3 space.
The integration of Solana marks a pivotal step in simplifying the onboarding process to Web3 for everyday users. By eliminating withdrawal fees and limits associated with centralized platforms, the firm empowers users to fully own and manage their Solana wallets, enabling them to transact BAT tokens directly on-chain with unparalleled freedom and flexibility.
Since its inception in 2016, the browser has garnered acclaim for its privacy-centric features, allowing users to block trackers, ads, and scripts. The native token of the its ecosystem, Basic Attention Token (BAT), incentivizes users to opt into privacy-respecting advertising. Until now, interacting with BAT required users to have an account with Uphold, a digital money platform facilitating “assisted self-custody.”
The introduction of Solana support in May 2022 expanded the utility of the browser, enabling users to engage with SOL and SPL tokens directly within the Brave Wallet. However, the transfer of assets to a self-custody wallet necessitated the involvement of third-party platforms.
Advancing privacy with generative AI
With the new on-chain Solana integration, Brave streamlines this process, offering users a seamless experience within the browser ecosystem. In addition to SOL and SPL tokens, the Brave Wallet supports a diverse range of cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, APE, MATIC, FIL, USDT, and USDC. Before making the self-custody feature widely available, Brave plans to initiate an invite-only rollout for eligible users.
These users will receive invitations through browser notifications within Brave Rewards and can connect their Solana addresses using a Solana wallet, such as the Brave Wallet. In November, Brave introduced generative AI to its browser with the launch of LEO AI. Powered by multiple AI models from Anthropic, Meta, and Mixtral, LEO offers both free and premium tiers, providing users with advanced conversational capabilities.
Unlike traditional AI models, LEO prioritizes user privacy by abstaining from collecting identifiers like IP addresses or using personal data to train its models. The integration of generative AI underscores Brave’s commitment to enhancing user experiences while upholding privacy standards.
Despite the advancements in AI technology, Brave acknowledges the inherent limitations and potential inaccuracies associated with generative models. Similar to other AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, LEO comes with a disclaimer regarding its accuracy and the possibility of providing misleading or false information.
Overall, Brave’s integration of on-chain Solana payments represents a significant milestone in advancing decentralized finance within the browser ecosystem. By leveraging Solana’s scalability and efficiency, Brave aims to empower users with greater control over their digital assets while fostering a more inclusive and accessible Web3 landscape.
