[Crypto projects](https://revain.org/projects/) › BNB Chain

# BNB Chain (BNB): how it works, supply and reviews

## In short

- **Type**: EVM-compatible layer-1 blockchain (BSC), with the opBNB layer 2 and the Greenfield storage chain
- **Supply target**: Quarterly Auto-Burn reduces total supply towards 100,000,000 BNB
- **Risks and caveats**: Blocks are produced by a limited, stake-elected set of validators, a design the project itself describes as less decentralised than proof of work.
- **Checked**: 31 October 2026

## Key facts

- **Ticker**: BNB
- **Official site**: [bnbchain.org/en](https://www.bnbchain.org/en)

Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.

## What is BNB Chain

BNB Chain is a blockchain ecosystem made up of BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the opBNB layer-2 network and the BNB Greenfield storage network. BNB is its native coin: it pays transaction fees, is staked to secure BSC and is used in on-chain governance.

## Network and consensus

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | EVM-compatible layer-1 blockchain (BSC), with the opBNB layer 2 and the Greenfield storage chain |
| Consensus | Proof of Staked Authority (PoSA): a combination of delegated proof of stake and proof of authority |
| Validators | 45 active validators: 21 Cabinet and 24 Candidates, re-elected every 24 hours by stake |
| Block time | 0.45 seconds on mainnet (reduced from 3 seconds); finality in about 1 second with Fast Finality |
| Launched | Beacon Chain (then Binance Chain) in April 2019; BNB Smart Chain in September 2020 |
| Smart contracts | Yes; BSC is a go-ethereum fork compatible with Ethereum smart contracts and tooling |

## Supply and issuance

| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Supply target | Quarterly Auto-Burn reduces total supply towards 100,000,000 BNB |
| Issuance | No inflation: validators are paid from transaction fees, not newly issued BNB |
| Fee burn | A fixed share of gas fees is burned in every block (BEP-95); the ratio is set by BSC validators |
| Auto-Burn | The quarterly burn amount depends on BNB's price and the number of BSC blocks in the quarter; burns go to a dead address on BSC |

## What BNB is used for

- Paying gas fees on BNB Smart Chain, opBNB and Greenfield
- Staking with validators to secure BSC and earn a share of fees
- Voting in BNB Chain on-chain governance
- Moving assets between BSC, opBNB and Greenfield

## Who develops and governs BNB Chain

- **Origin**: Started as the token of the Binance.com exchange; the 2022 rebrand separated BNB Chain from Binance.com
- **Foundation**: The BNB Foundation announces the quarterly BNB burns
- **Governance**: On-chain governance (BEP-297): staking-credit holders propose and vote; proposing needs 200 BNB staked, quorum 10%
- **Open source**: Yes; the bsc client library is LGPL-3.0 and its binaries GPL-3.0

## History

| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017 | BNB is issued as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. |
| 18 April 2019 | Mainnet launch of Binance Chain (later BNB Beacon Chain); BNB moves from Ethereum to its own chain. |
| September 2020 | Binance Smart Chain (BSC) launches with EVM smart contracts, powered by BNB. |
| 15 February 2022 | Binance Chain and Binance Smart Chain are rebranded together with BNB as the BNB Chain ecosystem. |
| 2023 | opBNB, a layer 2 built on the Optimism OP Stack, launches. |
| 19 November 2024 | BNB Beacon Chain halts under the BNB Chain Fusion plan; its functions move to BSC. |

## Security and audits

- BNB Chain runs a bug bounty programme with rewards of up to $100,000 for critical vulnerabilities.
- Validators that double-sign or go offline are penalised by slashing.
- The bsc client asks researchers not to file public tickets for vulnerabilities and lists audit reports in its repository.

## Risks and caveats

- Blocks are produced by a limited, stake-elected set of validators, a design the project itself describes as less decentralised than proof of work.
- BNB Chain began as part of the Binance exchange ecosystem and was only formally separated from Binance.com in 2022.
- Assets left on the retired BNB Beacon Chain may become permanently inaccessible.

## Official links

- Website: [www.bnbchain.org/en](https://www.bnbchain.org/en)
- Docs: [docs.bnbchain.org](https://docs.bnbchain.org/)
- Whitepaper: [github.com/bnb-chain/whitepaper](https://github.com/bnb-chain/whitepaper)
- Source code: [github.com/bnb-chain/bsc](https://github.com/bnb-chain/bsc)
- Blog: [www.bnbchain.org/en/blog](https://www.bnbchain.org/en/blog)
- Governance forum: [forum.bnbchain.org](https://forum.bnbchain.org)

## Questions and answers

**What is BNB Chain?**

BNB Chain is a blockchain ecosystem of BNB Smart Chain, opBNB and BNB Greenfield. BNB is its native coin for fees, staking and governance.

**Is BNB Chain the same as Binance Smart Chain?**

Yes. Binance Smart Chain and Binance Chain were rebranded as BNB Chain on 15 February 2022; the smart-contract chain is now called BNB Smart Chain (BSC).

**What is the supply of BNB?**

Total supply was 134,786,916.53 BNB on 15 April 2026. Quarterly Auto-Burns reduce it towards a target of 100,000,000 BNB.

**How does BNB Smart Chain reach consensus?**

It uses Proof of Staked Authority: 45 stake-elected validators (21 Cabinet, 24 Candidates) take turns producing blocks every 0.45 seconds.

**Is BNB inflationary?**

No. There is no block subsidy; validators earn transaction fees, and part of every block's gas fees is burned.

## Sources

- [BNB Chain — home page](https://www.bnbchain.org/en)
- [BNB Chain Docs — home](https://docs.bnbchain.org/)
- [BNB Chain Docs — BSC introduction](https://docs.bnbchain.org/bnb-smart-chain/introduction/)
- [BNB Chain Docs — staking overview](https://docs.bnbchain.org/bnb-smart-chain/staking/overview/)
- [BNB Chain Docs — governance overview](https://docs.bnbchain.org/bnb-smart-chain/governance/overview/)
- [BNB Smart Chain whitepaper (GitHub)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bnb-chain/whitepaper/master/WHITEPAPER.md)
- [bsc client README (GitHub)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bnb-chain/bsc/master/README.md)
- [bsc SECURITY.md (GitHub)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bnb-chain/bsc/master/SECURITY.md)
- [BEP-95: real-time burning mechanism](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bnb-chain/BEPs/master/BEPs/BEP95.md)
- [BNB Chain blog — BSC Is Now BNB Chain (15 February 2022)](https://www.bnbchain.org/en/blog/bsc-is-now-bnb-chain-the-infrastructure-for-the-metafi-universe)
- [BNB Chain blog — 35th BNB Burn (15 April 2026)](https://www.bnbchain.org/en/blog/35th-bnb-burn)
- [BNB Chain blog — Final sunset plan of BNB Beacon Chain](https://www.bnbchain.org/en/blog/final-sunset-plan-of-bnb-beacon-chain)
- [BNB Chain — What is BNB](https://www.bnbchain.org/en/what-is-bnb)
- [BNB Chain bug bounty](https://bugbounty.bnbchain.org/)

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Page updated: 2026-10-31

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Source: https://revain.org/projects/bnb/