The web browser Brave has become the first major browser to launch its own on-chain top-level domain ‘.brave’ in partnership with Unstoppable Domains and powered by Polygon.
In an official press release, the web browser announced that the new on-chain naming service would become available for more than 85 million active monthly users. The firm aims to make the domains accessible on the Brave Wallet for cryptocurrency payments and within the main browser’s newest version 1.81, which will be available in Nightly builds and scheduled for release on August 5, 2025.
This makes Brave (BAT) the first web browser to deploy its own blockchain-based top-level domains or TLDs. Users will be able to mint their named domains as non-fungible tokens on the Polygon (POL) network, granting them ownership without renewal fees.
The new domains offer users a seamless way to own their digital identity and simplify sending crypto by acting as a replacement to lengthy cryptocurrency wallet addresses, changing them into readable human names.
According to the announcement, the domains can be resolved across various networks, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Base (BASE), and Sonic (S) to name a few.
Holding a unique .brave domain also allows users to host decentralized websites on the InterPlanetary File System, which can be directly accessed through the browser without incurring any hosting fees.
CTO and co-founder Brian Bondy, calls the browser’s first foray into on-chain TLDs as “more than a domain,” as it offers users their very own personalized identity layer that is native to the wider ecosystem.
“Our mission is to put privacy, ownership, and control back in the hands of users,” said Bondy.
At the moment, the web browser firm and Unstoppable Domains are exploring the possibility of gaining an ICANN general top-level domain registration for 2026. A ICANN gTLD registration would allow for .brave domains to function in both traditional Web2 and decentralized Web3 environments.
As previously reported by crypto.news, the firm’s wallet recently added support for Cardano (ADA) after its recently announced partnership with Input | Output. The partnership aims to bring Cardano native assets to wallet users, allowing them to send, receive and swap ADA.
Not only that, the web3 wallet also offers governance support for ADA holders, with capabilities directly accessible from within the browser firm’s wallet.
