Brave Software has just released the latest version of Brave Browser, its privacy-protecting, crypto-enabled internet browser. Prior to the release of Brave 1.0, the product was said to be in beta release—meaning users could expect a fully functional, but not quite complete browser experience.
Brave 1.0 is reported to offer 3-6x faster browsing compared to other browsers and includes a variety of features designed to make browsing the internet a safer and more secure experience. To accomplish this, Brave automatically blocks third-party advertisements, trackers and autoplay videos, as well as phishing and malware attempts.
Brave Rewards on iOS
Despite its speed and security, the main feature that distinguishes Brave from its competition is the Brave Rewards program, which sees users in select countries rewarded with Basic Attention Tokens (BAT) in return for viewing privacy-respecting ads. Up until recently, Brave Rewards was only available on desktop and Android devices, but is now available as an iOS app with the release of version 1.0 of the browser. This move comes less than a month after Brave expanded its Brave Rewards program to a further 20 countries.
As part of the Brave Rewards program, users will receive 70% of the advertising revenue from its advertising campaigns—which Brave estimates will equate to around $200 per year from 2020.
BAT price surges after joining Coinbase Card
Besides this, Basic Attention Token was recently added as a spendable asset on Coinbase Card—a debit card that allows customers in almost 30 countries to spend cryptocurrencies in-store just like cash in their bank account. The browser also recently hit 9 million active users per month, growing its user base by 12.5% in less than a month.
On the back of this recent flurry of positive news, BAT has pumped by almost 8% in the last 24 hours. The token now sits at $0.262—up more than 21% in the last month. Meanwhile, the rest of the mark is in somewhat of a slump, with nine out of the top ten cryptocurrencies currently in the red.
Brave's ambitions don't stop with BAT and its Brave Rewards program. Speaking at Web Summit last week, CEO Brendan Eich revealed the company's plans to "go the full distance towards e-commerce" by matchmaking cryptocurrencies between purchasers and vendors; earlier this year, Brave announced plans to launch its own crypto wallet.