Berachain
beraWhat is Berachain?
Berachain is a live EVM-identical Layer 1 built around Proof of Liquidity (PoL), an economic coordination model intended to connect validators, applications and users through liquidity incentives. Berachain's current documentation identifies BERA as the network's native gas and staking token, while WBERA is the 1:1 wrapped form used for PoL emissions.
The identity should not be collapsed into a single “tri-token” ticker: BGT is the separate governance/reward token, WBERA is the wrapped emission token, and sWBERA is a staking-vault receipt token. A post-launch independent report confirms that Berachain mainnet went live and BERA launched simultaneously on February 6, 2025, after the Artio public testnet in January 2024.
What problem does Berachain solve?
Berachain targets the liquidity and incentive problem it describes in conventional proof-of-stake networks: emissions can subsidize activity without creating durable liquidity or application value. PoL is designed to redirect emissions toward eligible liquidity and application activity, with validators allocating rewards through Reward Vaults and applications competing for useful incentives.
This is an economic design objective, not a guarantee that every emission creates value. The live product is the Berachain mainnet and its native DeFi stack, including BEX and Bend; any broader business-growth or revenue-sharing loop remains dependent on the applications, governance and incentive markets that operate around the chain.
How does Berachain work?
Users pay transaction fees in native BERA, and fees are burned according to the current token documentation. Validators stake BERA through the BeaconDeposit system; the documentation says the active set is the top 69 by stake and that block production probability is proportional to staked BERA. PoL block rewards are emitted as WBERA: the current base rate is 0.4 WBERA for the validator operator and the reward rate is 1.305 WBERA routed through BeraChef to Reward Vaults.
Governance-controlled contracts determine which vaults can receive emissions, incentive-fee routing and Dedicated Emission Stream parameters. BERA holders therefore receive the utility of gas and staking, not an evidenced promise of equity, revenue ownership, reserve redemption or a claim on Berachain businesses. Genesis allocations use a one-year cliff, a 1/6 initial unlock and linear vesting of the remaining 5/6 over 24 months; PoL inflation is described as approximately 5% annually and subject to governance.
Key facts
- Berachain mainnet went live and the BERA token-generation event launched simultaneously on February 6, 2025, as confirmed by a February 7 post-launch report; Artio public testnet launched in January 2024.
- BERA is the native gas and staking coin; it is distinct from BGT, WBERA and sWBERA, and no ERC-20 BERA contract address should be used as its identity.
- Genesis supply was 500,000,000 BERA, with 18 decimals; current documentation describes approximately 5% annual PoL inflation subject to governance.
- Genesis allocation: 16.8% initial core contributors, 34.3% investors, 48.9% community, and 20% ecosystem & R&D (the community and ecosystem buckets overlap in the documentation's presentation and should not be summed as mutually exclusive categories without the allocation chart).
- All allocated parties share a one-year cliff; after it, 1/6 unlocks and the remaining 5/6 vests linearly over the next 24 months.
- PoL emits WBERA rather than raw BERA: 0.4 WBERA base rate to validator operators and 1.305 WBERA reward rate routed through BeraChef to Reward Vaults.
- Governance must whitelist Reward Vaults and controls incentive-fee destination and Dedicated Emission Stream allocation parameters; a Timelock and governance contracts are published for mainnet.
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Frequently asked questions
Is BERA the same token as BGT or WBERA?
No. BERA is the native gas and staking coin. BGT is a separate governance/reward token, while WBERA is the 1:1 wrapped token used for PoL emissions. sWBERA is a staking-vault receipt token.
What rights does a BERA holder have?
The documented rights are network utility: paying gas and staking directly or through staking pools. The sources do not establish equity, a legal revenue share, reserve-backed redemption, or ownership of Berachain applications merely from holding BERA.
What is live on Berachain today?
The mainnet is live. Official documentation describes BEX as the native DEX for swaps and liquidity and Bend as a deployed lending protocol; PoL, validator staking and Reward Vault infrastructure are also documented for mainnet.
What is BERA's supply and vesting schedule?
Genesis supply was 500 million BERA with 18 decimals. The documented schedule is a one-year cliff, then 1/6 of each allocation unlocks, followed by linear vesting of the remaining 5/6 over 24 months; PoL inflation is approximately 5% annually and subject to governance.
Can a central administrator freeze or mint my BERA?
BERA is native chain currency, not a normal ERC-20 with a public token contract. The reviewed sources document governance/timelock and PoL controllers that can change protocol parameters such as vault whitelists, emission routing and Dedicated Emission Streams, but do not establish an account-level BERA freeze or blacklist function. Native issuance is part of protocol rewards and governance-controlled inflation, so users should distinguish this from an ERC-20 mint authority.
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