Band BAND
About
What Is Band (BAND)?
Band is the data layer that trains AI engines and powers blockchain applications. By empowering DeFi, GameFi, and AI agents, it enables developers, institutions, and users to access real-time data with zero counterparty risk. With Band’s open, battle-tested data infrastructure built for blockchains and LLMs, it ensures that real-time information is always accessible—fueling everything from financial protocols to autonomous AI systems.
Band was launched in 2019 on the Ethereum blockchain as a decentralized oracle network, designed to bring real-world data into smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Initially, it addressed a core Web3 challenge: enabling blockchains to access external information securely and reliably.
In June 2020, the team released Bandv2, migrating the network from Ethereum to the Cosmos ecosystem. This decision was driven by Ethereum’s scalability limitations at the time and the unique advantages of Cosmos’ Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol. With IBC, Band became one of the earliest oracle projects to enable fast, cross-chain, and scalable data transfers—strengthening its position as a foundational layer for decentralized applications across multiple chains.
Over the following years, Band expanded its integrations and established itself as a critical data provider for Web3 applications, from decentralized finance (DeFi) to gaming and prediction markets. Its native token, $BAND, has remained central to the ecosystem, powering transaction fees, data requests, validator staking, and governance, while also being actively traded on major exchanges.
In 2025, the project underwent a major rebrand, evolving from Band Protocol to simply Band. This transformation came with a bold new vision: to become “The Unified Data Layer for AI & Web3.” Alongside this rebrand, Band introduced two flagship product offerings:
Band v3: the next evolution of its decentralized data network, featuring broader data coverage, reduced latency, and expanded developer tools to accelerate dApp innovation.
Membit: a new product line that delivers real-time, verifiable context to large language models (LLMs), bridging the worlds of AI and Web3 by fueling the next wave of intelligent applications.
This evolution positions Band not only as a cornerstone of decentralized data infrastructure but also as a key enabler of AI-driven advancements, unifying Web3 and AI through trusted, real-time data delivery.
Who Are the Founders of Band?
Band was founded in 2017 by Soravis Srinawakoon, Paul Chonpimai and Sorawit Suriyakarn.
Soravis Srinawakoon, the current CEO of Band, is a former software engineer at Ericsson and management consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. Paul Chonpimai, on the other hand, is Bandl's CPO, and a former web developer at Turfmapp and engineer at Tripadvisor. Lastly, former software engineer at Dropbox and Quora Sorawit Suriyakarn is Band's current CTO and a gold medalist competitive programmer.
In addition to the founding team, the Band LinkedIn page currently lists a total of 20 additional employees, most of which are scattered throughout Asia, and include designers, developers and engineers. The platform is also supported by major global investors, including Sequoia Capital, Dunamu & Partners, Spartan Group and Binance.
What Makes Band Unique?
Band goes beyond being just another oracle. It is cross-chain by design, powered by Cosmos IBC for fast and secure data transfers across multiple blockchains. With Band v3, it offers broader data coverage, lower latency, and better developer tools. In 2025, Band rebranded with a bold vision to be the Unified Data Layer for AI & Web3. Its new product Membit brings real-time context to AI models, making Band the first oracle project bridging decentralized data and artificial intelligence.
How Many Band (BAND) Coins Are There in Circulation?
Band first launched the BAND token through an Initial Exchange Offering (IEO) on Binance Launchpad in September 2019. In total, 27.37% of the tokens were distributed across three fundraising rounds: seed, private, and public sale.
For allocation, 20% of the supply was designated for the Band team, 5% for advisors, and 25.63% for the broader ecosystem. Token distribution has been released progressively, following the project’s emission schedule.
Because Band operates on a Cosmos SDK–based chain with an inflationary mechanism, the overall supply has gradually increased over time in line with inflation.
How Is the Band Network Secured?
Though BAND tokens were previously based on the ERC-20 standard, they were recently relaunched as native BAND tokens on the Band mainnet (known as BandChain).
Holders of the older tokens are able to complete a 1:1 swap by depositing their ERC-20 BAND tokens to Binance, and then withdrawing them as native tokens. This will be necessary to participate in BAND staking — which is only available for mainnet tokens.
Based on the Cosmos' SDK, BandChain is secured by a Byzantine fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus algorithm, which protects it against attacks. This works in combination with a delegated proof of stake (dPOS) setup, which secures the network’s oracles and allows BAND holders to earn staking rewards for delegating their stake to nodes.
Where Can You Buy Band (BAND)?
BAND was first tracked on public exchanges by CoinMarketCap in September 2019. Since then, it has been listed on a wide range of platforms, including several tier 1 exchanges — like Binance, Coinbase Pro and OKX.
The vast majority of BAND trading pairs are against Tether (USDT) and Bitcoin (BTC), but BAND can also be traded against several fiat currencies, including GBP, USD and EUR on Coinbase Pro. For more information about buying cryptocurrency as a beginner, read our comprehensive guide.
AI Analysis
What is the Band (BAND) cryptocurrency good for? What are its main use cases?
The Band Protocol (BAND) is a cross-chain data oracle platform that provides real-world data to smart contracts on various blockchain networks. The main use cases of the Band Protocol and its native cryptocurrency, BAND, are:
- Data Oracle: Band Protocol acts as a bridge between the real world and smart contracts, providing reliable and trustworthy data to trigger smart contract executions. This enables developers to build more complex and realistic decentralized applications (dApps).
- Decentralized Finance (DeFi): BAND is used in various DeFi applications, such as lending protocols, stablecoins, and prediction markets, to provide data feeds that help with pricing, risk assessment, and other critical functions.
- Gaming: Band Protocol's data oracle capabilities can be used in gaming applications to provide real-world data, such as sports scores, weather, or random numbers, to create more engaging and dynamic gaming experiences.
- Prediction Markets: BAND can be used to create prediction markets that rely on real-world data, allowing users to bet on the outcome of events, such as sports games or elections.
- Staking and Validation: BAND holders can participate in the protocol's validation process by staking their tokens, which helps to secure the network and earn rewards.
- Governance: BAND is used for voting on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and other governance decisions, allowing holders to participate in the decision-making process.
- Payment and Settlement: BAND can be used as a means of payment for data requests and other services within the Band Protocol ecosystem.
Overall, the Band Protocol and its native cryptocurrency, BAND, are designed to enable the creation of more sophisticated and data-driven decentralized applications, with a focus on DeFi, gaming, and prediction markets.
What blockchain does Band use? Is it its own blockchain or built on top of another?
Band Protocol primarily operates on Cosmos (Cosmos Hub) as its native blockchain, but it also has integrations with other blockchains through cross-chain bridges and oracles.
Key Details:
Native Blockchain: Band Protocol initially launched its own blockchain, BandChain, which is built using the Cosmos SDK (a framework for creating custom blockchains). BandChain is designed to provide high-performance oracle services with low latency and high throughput.
Cross-Chain Interoperability:
- BandChain is connected to other blockchains (like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and others) via Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) and bridges.
- This allows Band oracles to fetch and deliver data across multiple ecosystems.
Previous Integration with Ethereum:
- Before launching BandChain, Band Protocol initially operated as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, providing oracle services via smart contracts.
Summary:
- BandChain (Cosmos-based) is its primary blockchain for oracle services.
- It also supports cross-chain functionality with other blockchains (Ethereum, BSC, etc.) via bridges and IBC.
Would you like details on how BandChain works technically or its tokenomics?
Is Band programmable? Does it support smart contracts or decentralized applications?
Yes, Band Protocol (BAND) is programmable and supports smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Here’s a breakdown of its capabilities:
1. Programmability & Smart Contracts
- Band Protocol is built on Cosmos SDK (Tendermint BFT consensus) and supports CosmWasm, a smart contract framework for the Cosmos ecosystem.
- Developers can write and deploy smart contracts in Rust (via CosmWasm) to interact with Band’s oracle services.
- Band also integrates with Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), and other EVM-compatible chains via cross-chain bridges, allowing smart contracts on these chains to fetch Band’s oracle data.
2. Decentralized Applications (dApps)
- Band’s primary use case is decentralized oracles, providing real-world data (e.g., price feeds, weather, sports scores) to smart contracts.
- dApps can use Band’s oracle services to fetch reliable, decentralized data for:
- DeFi (e.g., lending, derivatives, stablecoins)
- Gaming (e.g., dynamic NFT values based on real-world events)
- Insurance (e.g., parametric payouts based on weather data)
- Prediction Markets (e.g., sports betting, election outcomes)
3. Cross-Chain Compatibility
- Band’s BandChain (Cosmos-based) can relay data to multiple blockchains via IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication) and bridges.
- This allows dApps on Ethereum, BSC, Solana, and others to access Band’s oracle services.
4. Developer Tools & SDKs
- Band provides SDKs for integrating oracles into dApps.
- Developers can request custom data feeds via Band’s Data Governance Framework (a decentralized voting system for data accuracy).
Conclusion
Band Protocol is fully programmable and supports smart contracts (via CosmWasm) and dApps across multiple blockchains. Its primary strength is decentralized oracles, but developers can build more complex applications using its data feeds.
Would you like guidance on integrating Band’s oracles into a specific project?
How fast are Band transactions? What is the typical confirmation time and throughput (transactions per second)?
Band Protocol's transaction speed and throughput depend on the blockchain it operates on (e.g., Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, or its own Cosmos-based chain). Here’s a breakdown:
1. On Ethereum (EVM-Compatible Chains)
- Confirmation Time: ~15–30 seconds (depends on gas fees and network congestion).
- Throughput: ~15–30 transactions per second (TPS) for the entire Ethereum network, but Band’s oracles can process multiple data requests in parallel.
2. On Binance Smart Chain (BSC)
- Confirmation Time: ~3–5 seconds (faster than Ethereum due to lower congestion).
- Throughput: ~100–300 TPS (BSC’s capacity, but Band’s oracles can handle multiple requests efficiently).
3. On BandChain (Cosmos SDK)
- Confirmation Time: ~1–3 seconds (optimized for fast oracle queries).
- Throughput: ~1,000+ TPS (BandChain is designed for high-speed oracle data delivery).
Key Factors Affecting Speed
- Oracle Requests: Band’s decentralized oracles fetch and aggregate data, which may take additional time depending on the data source.
- Network Congestion: Ethereum and BSC can slow down during peak times.
- Batch Processing: Band can process multiple data requests in a single transaction, improving efficiency.
Comparison to Other Oracles
- Chainlink: Similar speeds, but BandChain offers faster finality (~1–3 sec vs. Ethereum’s ~15 sec).
- API3: Depends on the underlying chain (e.g., Ethereum or Polygon).
For the fastest performance, BandChain (Cosmos-based) is the best option, while Ethereum/BSC versions depend on network conditions.
How much data can I store on the Band blockchain? Does it support on-chain data storage?
The Band Protocol blockchain is primarily designed for decentralized oracle services, allowing smart contracts to access real-world data securely. However, it does not support general-purpose on-chain data storage like traditional blockchains (e.g., Ethereum, Solana, or IPFS-based solutions).
Data Storage on Band Protocol
On-Chain Storage Limitations
- Band Protocol focuses on oracle data requests and responses, not long-term storage.
- Smart contracts can store small amounts of data (e.g., request IDs, query parameters), but not large datasets.
- The blockchain itself is not optimized for high-volume storage.
Off-Chain Data Handling
- Band Protocol relies on off-chain data providers (oracles) to fetch and deliver data to smart contracts.
- The actual data (e.g., price feeds, weather data) is stored off-chain and only the final result is submitted on-chain.
Alternative Storage Solutions
- If you need large-scale on-chain storage, consider:
- IPFS + Filecoin (for decentralized file storage)
- Arweave (permanent storage)
- Ethereum (EIP-4844) or Solana (for smart contract storage)
- Band Protocol’s own oracle services (if you need real-world data fed into smart contracts)
- If you need large-scale on-chain storage, consider:
Conclusion
Band Protocol is not a storage blockchain—it’s an oracle network. If you need to store data, you should use a dedicated storage solution and fetch it via Band’s oracles when needed.
Would you like recommendations for a specific use case?
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