The IQ token is the cryptocurrency of IQ AI and the Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP). ATP enables users to create tokenized AI agents that can operate autonomously. Unlike previous models, ATP agents operate independently, owning assets, performing on-chain actions, and continuously enhancing their capabilities through tokenized ecosystems. ^{[26] [50]}

Alongside ATP, the IQ token is powering applications like AIDEN and IQ.wiki, each dedicated to simplifying and expanding access to blockchain knowledge and functionality.

The IQ token is a DeFi and governance token with IQ stakers governing the ecosystem. The token is managed by BrainDAO. ^{[29] [32]}. The IQ token is multichain available on Ethereum, Fraxtal, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, and EOS.^[42][47][49]

IQ AI

On December 12, 2024, IQ announced its Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP) that simplifies DeFi with AI superagents. ATP represents an integration of conversational AI with advanced blockchain features. The platform's superagent capabilities enable the analysis of vast data points across assets, chains, and yield strategies, offering customized solutions for users with varying levels of expertise. These agents can autonomously own assets and perform on-chain actions, unlocking new avenues for innovation across decentralized ecosystems.

Navin Vethanayagam, the Chief Brain of IQ commented:

DeFi has the potential to reshape financial systems globally, but its complexity limits mass adoption With ATP, we're building a platform where builders can create autonomous agents that are capable of simplifying DeFi with simple conversational UIs. Unlike other agent tokenization platforms which have excelled in entertainment, ATP is laser-focused on letting users create and manage transformative autonomous DeFi AI superagents.

In October 2024, BrainDAO proposed to establish IQ as the native token for a new AI-driven ecosystem, IQ AI. The IQIP-20 proposal introduced having AI agents directly on the blockchain to simplify complex DeFi tasks, address chain fragmentation, and optimize user experiences in liquidity, lending, and trading. With a new tokenomics model that includes burning IQ for deflationary benefits and reverting to the 2022 emissions schedule, this initiative aimed to accelerate growth while rewarding stakers and contributors.

IQ.wiki

The IQ token is integral to IQ.wiki. IQ token holders who stake their tokens with the HiIQ staking system, vote on governance decisions involving both the platform and the IQ token itself.

In February 2023, IQ.wiki became one of the first decentralized applications to integrate artificial intelligence. The AI integration allows large pages like the wiki on the Bored Ape Yacht Club to be summarized in seconds.^[32]

In the blog post announcing the integration, the BrainDAO team shared some more information on future AI integrations. They also explained how the IQ token rewards could be used to build a system around training artificial intelligence which would incentivize the testing and development of artificial intelligence. ^[32]

"And this is just the beginning. We are exploring several use cases for AI within the IQ ecosystem. BrainDAO is looking into how AI could be used to translate articles into different languages. This would break down barriers and make it much easier for editors to collaborate and share knowledge about the blockchain space. Another use case is identifying potential trending topics before they became popular. AI could also be used to edit wiki articles for spelling and grammar as well as neutrality. AI will be a key tool in scaling IQ.wiki and increasing the utility of the IQ token.The IQ token powers a knowledge ecosystem that includes decentralized applications such as IQ.wiki. The platform was built from the ground up to be fully Web3 with all edits recorded on-chain through Polygon and IPFS.In 2023, BrainDAO will focus on not only integrating AI into the IQ.wiki platform but also building a system around training artificial intelligence. Through IQ token rewards for contributions to the IQ.wiki encyclopedia BrainDAO has the opportunity to incentivize the testing and development of artificial intelligence. We’ll be sharing more about our plans for 2023 soon."

In February 2024, IQ.wiki was launched in Korean and Chinese after experiencing a growing demand for IQ.wiki to expand beyond just the English language.^[47] In addition, IQ.wiki added ranked lists to its functionality where the team covers not only the top cryptocurrencies but also their founders, date founded, and respective blockchains. IQ.wiki’s rankings combine CoinMarketCap’s price data, such as price and marketcap with in-depth wiki articles covering categories from stablecoins to AI. IQ.wiki's interface also features an Events page, providing detailed information about conferences, hackathons, and other crypto and blockchain-focused events around the world. ^[51]

AIDEN

IQ GPT is an AI agent for blockchain knowledge developed by IQ team. IQ GPT focuses on providing real-time and contextually relevant information within the blockchain domain. It caters to various use cases, including learning, development, and trading activities, with the ability to streamline research processes and filter out irrelevant data.^[37]

In 2023, IQ GPT integrated contents and data sets from platforms such as IQ.wiki's extensive database, Etherscan, DeFiLlama, Frax Docs, Binance Academy, DeFi Protocol Documentations, The Associated Press News, CoinGecko, Flywheel DeFi, BlockBeats, InvestHK and CoinNess.^[47]

In late 2023, the BrainDAO team introduced the IQ GPT Chat, designed to support Telegram and Discord communities involved in cryptocurrency, DeFi, NFTs, and related topics. Upon its initial launch, users were onboarded through a waitlist system. However, those staking IQ tokens (HiIQ holders) with a minimum of 100,000 HiIQ balance were allowed early access and could bypass the waitlist.

In January 2024, the team announced the launch of web integrations for IQ GPT. The feature allowed any webpage, from decentralized exchanges to DeFi applications, cryptocurrency projects, NFT platforms, data platforms, and more, to feature IQ GPT in the form of a chatbot on their website.^[48]

In April 2024, IQ GPT added a new feature, Custom Knowledge Training. This update allowed projects to fine-tune IQ GPT's capabilities by training it on specific documentation and data sets.^[50] In May, IQ GPT launched a new /price feature letting users check the price of any token within the project’s Telegram group.^[49] Shortly after, IQGPT.com became available in four languages, with the addition of Japanese to the existing options of English, Korean, and Chinese. This update broadened the platform's accessibility, enabling a more diverse, global audience to engage with the service in their preferred language. ^[55]

In June 2024, BrainDAO released the Teams feature on IQGPT.com enabling collaborative management and customization of the platform and allowing multiple users to work together to tailor the AI agent to the specific needs of their community. With the Teams feature, multiple administrators can manage and customize IQ GPT’s settings simultaneously, ensuring that the AI assistant is aligned with the community's goals and interests. Team members can collectively contribute to refining the AI’s responses and capabilities, making it more relevant and useful for the audience. The feature also promotes seamless knowledge sharing, as all team members have access to the same customization tools and settings. This ensures that information is easily accessible to everyone involved, fostering an efficient and collaborative environment where the team can work together effectively to support the community. ^[54]

In July 2024, the IQ team announced two new features for IQ GPT, Fact of the Day and Today’s Discovery. Fact of the Day is a daily feature that shares interesting and informative facts about a cryptocurrency project with its community every day in the project’s Telegram group. These facts can cover various topics such as the project’s history, its use cases, or fun and unique details, all taken from the project's IQ.wiki page. The goal is to keep the community engaged and informed with a daily dose of knowledge. Today’s Discovery is a feature designed to provide users with interesting facts about crypto and blockchain, enhancing the IQ GPT experience. Each day a new fact is shared, offering insights into various aspects of the crypto and blockchain space. ^[53]

In October 2024, IQGPT reached more than 100 crypto communities' integrations, catering to over 2 million users on both Telegram and Discord. ^[52]

In March 2025, the official AI chatbot name was changed from IQ GPT to AIDEN following a 61% vote by the IQ community. Shortly after, AIDEN relaunched as one of the first tokenized agents with IQ's ATP alongside SOPHIA. ^[51]

BrainDAO

The IQ token is managed by BrainDAO which is governed by IQ stakers. The value of the IQ token is also backed by BrainDAO's treasury of diversified yield-earning assets providing stability and funding for ongoing development. By September 2022, the BrainDAO treasury amassed over $2 million in Wrapped Ethereum and over $5 million in total assets. By February 2023, BrainDAO's treasury had reached a value of over $15 million. ^[35] In October 2023, the BrainDAO’s treasury acquired 2,100,000 sFRAX through Frax Finance’s ERC4626 staking vault. Staked FRAX was released in October 2023, making BrainDAO the 4th highest in its treasury and the 6th largest staker in sFRAX. BrainDAO's treasury has been diversifying its portfolio, including holdings of other sFRAX stablecoins through the Time-Weighted Average Market Maker (TWAMM) on Fraxswap, along with other notable assets such as sfrxETH, cvxFPIS, cvxFXS, sDAI, and more. By November 2023, BrainDAO's treasury had reached a value of over $20 million.^{[17] [34][44]}

In February 2024, BrainDAO staked a record $10,000,000 of ETH with Frax Finance's Liquid Staking Derivative (LSD), Frax Ether. This brought revenue to BrainDAO as all profits generated from Frax Ether validators were distributed to sfrxETH holders. This growth strengthened the BrainDAO treasury which held over $26 million in total assets at the time. ^[51] In March, the BrainDAO treasury reached over $40 million in assets. ^[52]

In May 2024, BrainDAO staked $10 million worth of Ether (ETH) with sfrxETH and Eigenlayer, solidifying its position as one of the largest sfrxETH stakers and restakers on Eigenlayer. ^[53] Just two weeks after staking $10 million in ETH with Frax Ether (frxETH), BrainDAO added a $5 million deposit, bringing their total frxETH stake to $15 million. ^[54]

In December 2024, BrainDAO announced the upcoming Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP) in collaboration with Frax. ATP will initially launch on the Fraxtal blockchain. The Fraxtal team is developing a novel AIVM with a Proof of Inference consensus system in exclusive collaboration with IQ to make any AI agent deployed to the blockchain become fully autonomous and sovereign with no single party in control of the agent, a world first. This AIVM technology will initially only be available to AI agents launched on APT. ^[55]

Liquidity

Centralized Exchanges

The IQ token was listed on the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, in June of 2020. The IQ token is also listed on Crypto.com, Coinone, Upbit, South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchanges. ^{[23] [24] [25] [26] [22] [43]}

In October 2023, Coinone, one of South Korea’s top cryptocurrency exchanges by volume officially became the second exchange to list the IQ token with a KRW fiat pair. This comes after the IQ token saw a record volume on Upbit and Binance in 2023 seeing several days with over $100 million in volume and one day with over $380 million in volume.^[45][46]

In May 2024, IQ gained a listing on Bitkub, Thailand's #1 licensed cryptocurrency exchange with a Thai Baht fiat pair. Around the same time, IQ was listed by CoinDCX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. ^[56]

IQ token is also available on LATOKEN, Gate.io, BingX, Bitget, OKX, and Bithumb. ^[57]

Decentralized Exchanges

In September of 2022, the IQ token was listed with an IQ-FRAX pair on Fraxswap, the first constant product automated market maker with an embedded time-weighted average market maker (TWAMM). The IQ-FRAX pool is incentivized with IQ token rewards and FXS rewards for IQ-FRAX liquidity providers. ^{[27] [28]}

IQ is also available on Quickswap and Sushiswap. ^[57]

HiIQ

HiIQ launched on August 4, 2021, and was created to incentivize IQ holders to become long-term holders who stake and lock up their IQ tokens. The HiIQ staking system allows IQ holders to choose how long they want to lock up their IQ in addition to the number of IQ tokens they would like to stake. The greater the amount of IQ locked and the greater the length of time the tokens are locked the greater the HiIQ balance of the staker. Stakers then receive IQ token rewards in proportion to their HiIQ balance. ^[51]

Technical Background

HiIQ is a vesting and yield system based on Curve’s veCRV mechanism. Users may lock up their IQ for up to 4 years for four times the amount of HiIQ (e.g. 100 IQ locked for 4 years returns 400 HiIQ). HiIQ is not a transferable token nor does it trade on liquid markets. It is more akin to an account-based point system that signifies the vesting duration of the wallet's locked IQ tokens within the protocol. The HiIQ balance linearly decreases as tokens approach their lock expiry, approaching 1 HiIQ per 1 IQ at zero lock time remaining. This design encourages long-term staking and an active community.

Tokenomics

IQIP-20: Building EOAI (Enshrined On-chain AI) with IQ and Implementing Token Burning

In October 2024, the IQ community voted to implement IQIP-20 with overwhelming support. IQIP-20 proposed building EOAI (Enshrined On-chain AI) and establishing IQ as the native token for this new AI-driven ecosystem. The proposal introduced AI agents directly on the blockchain to simplify complex DeFi tasks, address chain fragmentation, and optimize user experiences in liquidity, lending, and trading. With a new tokenomics model that includes burning IQ for deflationary benefits and reverting to the 2022 emissions schedule, this initiative aimed to accelerate growth while rewarding stakers and contributors. ^[51]

The IQ token will serve as the governance and utility token for the new Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP), which allows users to create tokenized agents that can operate autonomously. Unlike previous models, ATP agents operate independently, owning assets, performing on-chain actions, and continuously enhancing their capabilities through tokenized ecosystems. In the same way that Ethereum users pay transaction fees in ETH to use the network, users of IQ’s AI agents will pay transaction fees in IQ. A portion of each fee will be burned, while the rest will go to IQ stakers. ^[51]

To support the IQ AI vision, BrainDAO proposed reverting to the initial 2022 emissions schedule with halvings every four years, similar to Bitcoin. While this means higher emissions in the short term, the increased adoption of the Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP) will eventually lead to more IQ being burned than minted, leading to the IQ token becoming deflationary over time. To accommodate short-term emission increases, the maximum IQ supply will be raised to 60 billion, significantly below the original 100 billion cap. Even without token burning, the supply would remain under 54 billion by 2100. ^[51]

The Restored IQ Token Emissions Model

As of December 2024, under the restored IQ token emissions model, 3 million IQ will be minted each day for HiIQ stakers. This will increase rewards for IQ stakers rewarding early adopters and heavily incentivizing people to get IQ tokens, stake, and participate in IQ governance allowing IQ to grow as a native AI token. ^[51]

Each day, 350,000 IQ tokens will be minted to incentivize and reward contributors who help train and improve the IQ AI agents, which power the IQ ecosystem and the upcoming Agent Tokenization Platform (ATP). These rewards will support a range of tasks that human contributors can undertake to earn IQ tokens. For example, contributors might compile datasets to improve the quality and accuracy of AI training or add valuable content to IQ.wiki, ensuring that IQ GPT agent has access to a more extensive and diverse pool of training data. By participating in these tasks, contributors will play a crucial role in enhancing the AI's capabilities and expanding the overall utility of the IQ platform. ^[51]

4,333,333 IQ will be minted and used to acquire Ethereum, stablecoins, and other assets for the BrainDAO treasury. This will ensure that the IQ token is backed by a diversified portfolio of digital assets during times of volatility. As before, up to 25% of incoming assets to BrainDAOfrom bonds and the TWAMM can be used by the IQ company to grow and develop the IQ ecosystem. This ensures that the company leading the development of the IQ ecosystem is also diversified like the IQ token itself. ^[51]

3 million IQ will be minted each day and allocated to the IQ company which is responsible for growing the IQ ecosystem. This ensures that IQ has enough funds to continue to innovate and create value for the IQ ecosystem by building new technology to support the IQ AI vision. ^[51]

Previously 250,000 IQ per day was allocated to incentivizing the Frax-IQ TWAMM however as that pool now receives FXS incentives and BrainDAO itself holds over $4 million in IQ-Frax liquidity these incentives are no longer needed. While BrainDAO has significant protocol-owned liquidity achieving the IQ AI vision will require substantial resources. Therefore it was proposed that this 250,000 IQ per day go toward BrainDAO instead of incentivizing liquidity. ^[51]

There was 1 million IQ allocated to Brainies, an NFT project planned before IQ’s focus shifted towards developing AI applications like IQ GPT and IQ Code as demand for AI products expanded and demand for NFTs declined. With IQ’s focus and success in AI, it was proposed that this 1 million IQ per day go to the IQ company to pursue the development of the IQ AI layer. ^[51]

As the new AI native layer of IQ gains adoption, the amount of IQ burned will increase and over time exceed the amount of IQ being minted. While the emissions will increase in the short term to facilitate more rapid growth and development of the new AI layer, the primary goal of the new tokenomics is for IQ to become deflationaryover time and for the supply to decline in the long term. ^[51]

IQIP-14: IQ Tokenomics for the New IQ.wiki Platform

On October 11, 2022, a proposal IQIP-14: New IQ Tokenomics for IQ.wiki went up for voting. The proposal involved setting up new tokenomics for the IQ token. The proposal involved moving to a halvening model for the IQ token like Bitcoin and FXS which provides higher initial emissions to incentivize early adopters and gradually lowers emissions to ensure long-term sustainability. The vote passed with over 750 million HiIQ voting in favor of the proposal. On November 1, 2022, the BrainDAO team implemented the proposal in the largest update to the IQ tokenomics since the launch of the IQ token in 2018. ^[30]

Halvening

As a result of the IQIP-14: ‘New IQ Tokenomics for the New IQ.wiki Platform’, the first IQ halvening began on November 1, 2023, the same date that the BrainDAO team announced IQ v 3. As a result of halvening, 1.5 million IQ are minted each day for HiIQ stakers starting from November 1, 2023. ^[47]

As part of the update, the team proposed further lowering inflation by reducing the amount of IQ allocated to the TWAMM to obtain stablecoins and blue-chip assets. With the BrainDAO treasury stablecoin holdings increasing along with higher-than-expected yields through sFRAX they were able to propose this reduction in IQ allocated to the TWAMM. The proposal involved reducing the allocation from 2,166,667 IQ to 2,000,000 IQ post-halvening.^[47][48]

Utility

IQ token powers IQ ecosystem, including ATP and IQ.wiki, driving its governance, liquidity, utility, and growth:

• Governance: IQ token holders, through staking in hiIQ, participate in governance decisions that shape the development of ATP and BrainDAO.
• Deflationary Design: Platform fees paid in IQ are partially burned to reduce supply, while the remainder is distributed as staking rewards.
• Liquidity Pairing: Every agent launched on ATP pairs with the IQ token, linking all agents to the IQ token ecosystem and driving demand.

Origins

On December 6, 2017, Everipedia announced they were building "the first encyclopedia on the blockchain," and they are working on a cryptocurrency token called IQ which would be used to govern the platform and incentivize editors. Prior to expanding onto the blockchain, Everipedia had an IQ points system where editors would get non-tradable points to signify how many contributions they had made to the site. ^[33]

In 2018, the IQ token launched and the Everipedia encyclopedia moved onto the blockchain. On July 12, 2018, Everipedia airdropped 51% of the IQ token supply to EOS holders. Everipedia Co-Founder and CTO Travis Moore explained that by doing an airdrop Everipedia would ensure the widest possible distribution of IQ tokens with every EOS holder receiving tokens.^[16]

"The airdrop will play a significant role in helping Everipedia accomplish as wide of a distribution as possible for IQ tokens."

~3.5% of the tokens marked for the airdrop were not airdropped since those tokens were held by exchanges that did not support the airdrop. These tokens were instead re-invested into the Everipedia ecosystem through the IQ Fund. ^[31]

About 15.7% of the supply was locked up for founders and early backers. These tokens vested throughout a period that began on May 4th, 2020, and ended on May 4th, 2022.

10% of the initial supply was held by the company, as a treasury. The company treasury has been used for partnerships, development, and other ecosystem and IQ growth initiatives. The original account for the team treasury was ytehekdmilty.

About 14.7% of the initial supply was held by EOS VC. Almost exactly 5% of the initial supply was held by the IQ Fund. A fund of tokens we have committed to using/investing to support developers and projects looking to build IQ token-related products and DeFi dApps. The IQ Fund’s tokens might be sold periodically for stablecoin equivalents to keep the fund rebalanced and in good standing. The initial account for the IQ Fund was everipediavc.