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How to buy Basic Attention Token (BAT)

What it's about and where to get it.

Andrew Munro
Andrew Munro

Last updated:

The Basic Attention Token (BAT) is a cryptocurrency designed specifically for use with the Brave web browser.

It aims to reshape the current landscape of the Internet, with a focus on eliminating malware, the unsustainable arms race between ad blockers and ads, and the expensive middlemen such as Facebook and Google which capture so much of the market.

Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of cryptocurrency or any specific provider, service or offering. It is not a recommendation to trade.

Where to buy BAT

Find out where and how to buy.

Name Product Deposit methods Fiat Currencies Supported Cryptocurrencies
Independent Reserve Exchange
Independent Reserve Exchange
Cryptocurrency
Electronic Funds Transfer
POLi
SWIFT
Osko
PayID
AUD, NZD, USD
BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC, XRP, OMG, ZRX, EOS, PLA, XLM, BAT, REP, GNT, ETC
Trade AUD and other fiat currencies against a wide range of cryptos at competitive rates.
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CoinSpot Cryptocurrency Marketplace
CoinSpot Cryptocurrency Marketplace
BPAY
Cash
Cryptocurrency
POLi
AUD
BTC, BCH, ETH, XRP, ADA, XEM, LTC, XLM, TRX, DASH, NEO, XMR, EOS, QTUM, BTG, LSK, ETC, XVG, SKY, NAS, LINK, GO & over 100+ more
CoinSpot is an Australian-based marketplace that allows you to easily buy, sell or trade more than 100 cryptocurrencies.
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Cointree Cryptocurrency Exchange
Cointree Cryptocurrency Exchange
Cash
Cryptocurrency
Electronic Funds Transfer
POLi
PayID
AUD
BTC, ETH, XRP, BCH, EOS, XVG, LTC, ADA, MIOTA, TRX, NEO, DASH, XMR, XEM, VET, ETC, ICX, QTUM, OMG, & 70+ more
Buy 100+ cryptocurrencies using POLi, cash or Electronic Funds Transfer.
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Swyftx Cryptocurrency Exchange
Swyftx Cryptocurrency Exchange
Bank transfer
BPAY
Cryptocurrency
SWIFT
Osko
PayID
AUD
BTC, ETC, XRP, BCH, EOS, XVG, LTC, ETH, USDT, XLM, XMR, DASH, NEO, IOTA and 50+ more
Buy, sell, trade over 70 cryptocurrencies in AU.
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BC Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Broker
BC Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Broker
Cryptocurrency
Bank transfer (SEPA)
SWIFT
Wire transfer
Faster Payments Service
GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, SGD, AUD, JPY, MXN
BTC, ETH, BCH, XRP, LTC, EOS, XLM, USDT, ADA, XMR, TRX and 50+ more
BC Bitcoin is a UK-based cryptocurrency brokerage that buys and sells more than 100 different cryptocurrencies.
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Easy Crypto Cryptocurrency Exchange - Australia
Easy Crypto Cryptocurrency Exchange - Australia
Bank transfer
POLi
AUD
ARK, BAT, BTC, ADA, DASH, ENJ, EOS, ETH, ETC, GVT, GNT, ICX, and 10+ more
Accepting POLi and bank transfers in AUD, Easy Crypto is a simple way to buy and sell a range of cryptocurrencies.
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Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange
Binance Cryptocurrency Exchange
Cryptocurrency
-
BTC, XRP, USDT, ETH, NEB, XVG, TRX, NEBL, ETH, NEO, FUN, ETC, BCC, POE, DASH, ELF, & 80+ more
Trade an extensive range of reputable coins on this world-renowned exchange, popular for its high liquidity and multi-language support.

US residents: US-based users have been restricted from Binance since June 2019.
UK residents: In addition to normal crypto trading services, Binance offers margin lending. As this is a regulated activity which they are not authorised to offer in the UK, we advise you not to use this service. If you're interested in margin trading, see authorised providers.
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Bitfinex Professional Trading Exchange
Bitfinex Professional Trading Exchange
Cryptocurrency
Wire transfer
USD, EUR, GBP, JPY
BTC, BCH, BTG, IQ, TRX, GNT, AVT, DASH, DATA, EDO, EOS, ETC, ETH, LTC, MIOTA, NEO, OMG, QTUM, SAN, USDT, XMR, XRP, BAT, ZRX, FUN, MANA, SPANK, TNB, RLC, RCN, REP, ELF, AID, SNGLS, SNT, QASH, YOYO, MITH, ETP, XTZ, CNN, BOX, GOT, TKN, UTN
Cryptocurrencies are a highly volatile investment product. Your capital is at risk.
Spot trade all of the major cryptos on this full-featured exchange and margin trading platform.
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Coinbase Digital Currency Exchange
Coinbase Digital Currency Exchange
Credit card
Debit card
AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, CNY & 50+ more
BTC, ETH, XRP, BCH, EOS, LTC, XLM, ETC, ZEC, ZRX, REP, BAT, LINK, DAI, USDC
Get US$10 in free bitcoin when you buy US$100 or more of any crypto. T&Cs apply.
Buy and sell major cryptocurrencies on one of the world's most renowned cryptocurrency exchanges.
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CoinSwitch Cryptocurrency Exchange
CoinSwitch Cryptocurrency Exchange
Credit card
Cryptocurrency
USD
BTC, BCH, MIOTA, XVG, NEO, ADA, XRP, TRX, ONT, ZIL, GAS, LTC, ZRX, QTUM, ETH, ETC, VET, ICX & 300+ more
CoinSwitch allows you to compare and convert over 250 cryptocurrencies across all exchanges.
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Compare up to 4 providers

How Basic Attention Token works

BAT and the Brave browser work hand in hand. This browser lets users opt into ads and blocks ads for anyone that didn’t opt in.

Users that opt into ads will be rewarded with BAT tokens for doing so and shown content to specifically match their interests.

The goal is to persuade people to willingly accept advertising, with the understanding that it’s high quality, potentially useful and that they’re getting paid for it. In turn, advertisers are able to get better results from higher quality products more closely tailored to individual users.

Meanwhile, publishers can successfully monetise sites without needing to give up the lion’s share of profits to middlemen like Google AdSense.

If it all works as planned, the end result is a win-win-win for users, advertisers and publishers and an incentive for all to participate.

How BAT tokens are distributed

There’s a total limit of 1.5 billion BAT tokens, of which 1 billion are in circulation. There is no inflation.

BAT will be circulated and divided among the winners:

  • Users: Users are the viewers that opt-in to advertising on the Brave platform. They receive a small portion of the Basic Attention Tokens distributed for their attention. They can use BAT to sell, tip publishers, purchase premium Brave services or anything else they want.
  • Advertisers: Advertisers pay BAT to capture a user’s attention.
  • Publishers: Publishers are the YouTube content creators, website operators and similar. They earn the majority of BAT involved in a transaction.

One of the main differences between BAT and fiat currency advertising models is that the Brave browser is specifically designed to facilitate higher quality advertising. This means more compelling ad content for users that they’re more likely to watch.

For advertisers, it means better returns on investment through higher audience retention, more accurate tailoring of content to a reader's interest and more effective tracking of audience engagement. These measurements are facilitated through the following:

  • Machine learning algorithms that track user interests and show matching ads.
  • An “Attention Value” for each ad, calculated by duration and pixels in view in proportion to relevant content, prior to any direct engagement with the ad. In other words, an ad is more valuable the longer someone sits and watches it before committing to a click.

What to consider before buying BAT

BAT wasn’t designed to be bought and sold. Its creators specifically say as much and haven’t gone to any particular effort to get it listed on exchanges. This hasn’t prevented it from being listed on a wide range of popular exchanges though.

Depending on how you look at it, this might be a great reason to get involved or a reason to stay away.

The browser market is hotly contested, and Brave is among the dozens of browsers with a market share of a fraction of a percent. Since BAT is designed for use on the Brave browser, you will need to decide if this will affect the widespread use of BAT.

Persuading people to change browsers isn’t easy either. Just look at Microsoft’s concerted efforts to push people to the Edge browser, then consider the fact that the older Microsoft Internet Explorer still has around three times the market share of Edge.

Advertiser’s will need to consider whether Brave will be able to attract a diverse user base and whether people will actually opt into ads.

You may also decide that directly monetising user engagement is enough to put a solid lid on the size of BAT’s potential userbase.

The actual functions of Brave and BAT (ad blocking, machine learning algorithms to determine user interests, various measurements of user engagement) also exist in various forms already, and despite the disruption that blockchain brings, Google will probably fight to keep its share of the ad market.

Traders will also need to consider the possibility of users “mining” BAT through the deliberate viewing of ads on multiple devices, manipulating the algorithm to trigger larger rewards. If BAT ever becomes valuable, you will need to give these issues serious consideration.

Take a look at the current value, the coin supply and the future of the market, and consider whether it might still be undervalued despite all the problems.

Disclaimer: Cryptocurrencies are speculative, complex and involve significant risks – they are highly volatile and sensitive to secondary activity. Performance is unpredictable and past performance is no guarantee of future performance. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before relying on this information. You should also verify the nature of any product or service (including its legal status and relevant regulatory requirements) and consult the relevant Regulators' websites before making any decision. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
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