> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://berachain-422fce37-docs-staking-pool-install-cli.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# BERA Token

> Gas token, staking, tokenomics, and how to get BERA.

BERA serves as the native gas and staking token of Berachain, the first blockchain powered by Proof-of-Liquidity.

## Role of BERA

BERA is both the gas token and the PoL emission token (as WBERA):

### Transaction fees

BERA pays for transactions on Berachain. Fees are burned, reducing circulating supply. [Explore the Berachain Ecosystem](https://ecosystem.berachain.com/).

### PoL emissions

Block rewards are emitted as \$WBERA (wrapped BERA, 1:1). Each block emits a **base rate** (0.4 WBERA) to the validator operator and a **reward rate** (1.305 WBERA) routed through BeraChef to Reward Vaults. WBERA is the single emission token for Proof of Liquidity.

### Validator staking

Validators stake BERA to enter the active set (top 69 by stake). Block-production probability is proportional to staked BERA. Additional stakers can deposit BERA to a validator directly via `BeaconDeposit.deposit()` or through a [Staking Pool](/nodes/staking-pools/overview) via `submit()`.

### Stake BERA for sWBERA

Depositing BERA or WBERA into the [Staking Vault](/general/tokens/swbera) yields \$sWBERA, which earns yield from the [Incentive Auction](/general/proof-of-liquidity/incentives#incentive-fee-settlement).

See [Block Rewards](/general/proof-of-liquidity/block-rewards) for how BERA staking affects block production and emissions.

## Tokenomics

The following documents the fixed supply, allocation, and release schedule for BERA.

### Overview

| Property                | Value                                                                                |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Token name              | BERA                                                                                 |
| Total supply at genesis | 500,000,000 BERA                                                                     |
| Inflation               | \~5% annually via PoL reward emissions (distributed as WBERA), subject to governance |
| Decimals                | 18                                                                                   |

### Distribution and allocation

The genesis supply of 500,000,000 BERA is allocated as follows:

<Frame>
  ```mermaid actions={false} theme={null}
  %%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': {
    'pie1':'#a9763f',
    'pie2':'#5e3d1f',
    'pie3':'#cda678',
    'pie4':'#7a4f28',
    'pie5':'#9c6b3a',
    'pieTitleTextSize':'20px',
    'pieSectionTextColor':'#ffffff',
    'pieStrokeColor':'#3a2410',
    'pieStrokeWidth':'2px',
    'pieOuterStrokeColor':'#3a2410'
  }}}%%
  pie showData
    title BERA Token Allocation
    "Investors" : 34.3
    "Ecosystem & R&D" : 20
    "Initial Core Contributors" : 16.8
    "Airdrop" : 15.8
    "Community Initiatives" : 13.1
  ```
</Frame>

**Initial core contributors — 84,000,000 (16.8%)**<br />Allocated to advisors and members of Big Bera Labs, the core contributors to the Berachain blockchain.

**Investors — 171,500,000 (34.3%)**<br />Allocated to Seed, Series A, and Series B investors.

**Community allocations — 244,500,000 (48.9%)**

**Airdrop — 79,000,000 (15.8%)**<br />Distributed to testnet users, Berachain and ecosystem NFT holders, social supporters, ecosystem dApps, and community builders. See the [Blog airdrop overview](https://blog.berachain.com/blog/berachain-airdrop-overview) for details.

**Future community initiatives — 65,500,000 (13.1%)**<br />Reserved for incentive programs, grants, and other initiatives, with community input via Snapshots, RFPs, and similar mechanisms.

**Ecosystem & R\&D — 100,000,000 (20%)**<br />Used for ecosystem development, R\&D, growth, and Berachain Foundation operations: developer programs ([Boyco](https://boyco.berachain.com/)), node operator delegations, and Proof-of-Liquidity evolution. At launch, 9.5% of total BERA supply from this bucket is unlocked for ecosystem growth, developer tooling, liquidity provisioning, and related uses.

### Token release schedule

All allocated parties share the same vesting terms:

* **Cliff:** 1 year; no tokens unlock before the cliff.
* **Initial unlock:** After the cliff, 1/6 of the allocated amount unlocks.
* **Linear vesting:** The remaining 5/6 vests linearly over the following 24 months.

<Frame>
  ```mermaid actions={true} theme={null}
  %%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': {'xyChart': {'plotColorPalette': '#3a2410, #5e3d1f, #7a4f28, #a9763f, #cda678'}}}}%%
  xychart
    title "Token Emissions Schedule (Millions)"
    x-axis "Month" [0, 12, 24, 36]
    y-axis "Millions" 0 --> 500
    line "Ecosystem and R&D" [50, 55, 78, 100]
    line "Airdrop" [110, 120, 150, 180]
    line "Community Initiatives" [110, 140, 195, 245]
    line "Investors" [110, 168, 290, 415]
    line "Initial Core Contributors" [110, 180, 340, 500]
  ```
</Frame>