In brief
- Brave has added a widget for cryptocurrency exchange Gemini.
- As with Brave's Binance widget, users can trade crypto, view balances, and more.
- It’s part of a wider partnership between Brave and Gemini with more news to come.
Privacy-centric web browser Brave, which not only blocks web ads and tracking but also rewards users for viewing native ads with the Basic Attention Token (BAT), today announced a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Gemini—and it has already manifested within the browser itself.
Starting today, Brave desktop browser users can activate the official Gemini Trading Widget, which is accessible by opening a new tab. The Gemini card on the screen lets account holders trade any crypto assets listed by Gemini, as well as view their account balances and deposit addresses.
Furthermore, verified Brave content creators can custody their assets in a Gemini Creator Wallet. BAT payments received from Brave users can be sent to that wallet, which can also hold other crypto and fiat assets that Gemini supports.
According to a Brave blog post, this integration is just part of a “broader partnership” with Gemini, with more announcements teased for the future.
Gemini added the Basic Attention Token to its exchange back in April, and the Gemini Creator Wallet was added to Brave Nightly—the active testing and development build of the browser—in July. Creators who started using that wallet in July will receive a first payment in September, according to today’s blog post.
The Gemini widget isn’t the first of its kind for the browser; in fact, Brave added a Binance widget in April. It does give users options, however, providing easier access to receive their earned BAT and tap into other assets without leaving the widget.
Brave usage has surged in 2020. In early June, the company reported that it had 15 million monthly active users, with 5.3 million daily users. That was a significant uptick from the 10 million monthly users reported in December 2019. Famed podcast host Joe Rogan is among those users, as he told guest (and fellow-Brave user) Reggie Watts in a June episode.
However, amidst all that growth, Brave came under fire just days later in June when it was discovered that the company profited from affiliate links to certain websites without telling users or allowing them to opt in (or out). Brave CEO Brendan Eich apologized for the matter amidst an uproar from users, and promised that links would no longer be automatically altered.
Before leaving, make sure to read our full Brave browser review.