BEAM is an ERC-20 cryptographic token used for multiple things in the Beam ecosystem. Fundamentally, it has a role in relation to the following: Gas token: BEAM serves as the native crypto asset on the Beam network. Each transaction on the Beam network requires BEAM to cover gas fees, which includes any game related transactions on the Beam network. Validation and delegation: BEAM will be used to secure the Beam network, and be required to validate and propose blocks on the mainnet of the Beam network. Governance: BEAM holders may participate in the governance of certain mutable features of Beam protocols and exerting checks and balances on Beam DAO-adjacent entities. Means of payment: BEAM is increasingly accepted as a means of payments by various decentralized applications, games and smart contract systems within the Beam ecosystem. BEAM is decentralized and global, and you can transfer your BEAM using blockchain systems, without using any intermediary service. There is no company or individual that can arbitrarily decide to mint more BEAM. BEAM is divisible up to 18 decimal places and a user can acquire fractions of a BEAM token.