Ethereum and Base Part Ways on Common Wallet Standard After Extended Talks

Ethereum and Coinbase-backed Base are no longer pursuing a unified standard for next-generation crypto wallets after months of negotiations failed to bridge differences between the two networks.

Ethereum is advancing EIP-8141, known as Frame Transactions, while Base is developing EIP-8130. The separate approaches could leave wallets and applications that operate across both ecosystems supporting different transaction mechanisms.

The original collaboration sought to modernize blockchain wallets by giving them capabilities more commonly associated with traditional applications. Those features included passkeys, flexible recovery options, fee sponsorship by applications and the ability to combine multiple blockchain actions into a single transaction.

The proposed systems would also reduce the need for users to maintain ETH purely for paying transaction fees.

Ethereum and Base Take Different Approaches

The main obstacle was not a lack of interest in interoperability but disagreement over the priorities each network wanted its transaction system to address.

Derek Chiang, an Ethlabs developer involved in the discussions, said the teams recognized the benefits of a common approach but ultimately focused on building systems suited to their individual networks. Ethereum wanted to optimize its design for Ethereum, while Base pursued an architecture tailored to its own requirements.

The joint effort ended last week.

Both proposals alter key elements of how transactions work, including who can authorize them, who pays associated fees and what can happen once authorization has taken place.

Ethereum’s EIP-8141 places particular emphasis on privacy, censorship resistance and security as wallets become more programmable. The proposal also seeks to simplify a future transition away from Ethereum’s current wallet cryptography should quantum computing eventually make existing methods vulnerable.

Base, by contrast, is emphasizing flexibility for applications that need to process large transaction volumes or operate under different requirements. Its design also considers use cases involving compliance constraints.

According to Chiang, reaching a single standard would have meant giving up important functionality on at least one side.

EIP-8141 and EIP-8130 Continue Separately

Ethereum plans to advance Frame Transactions toward Hegotá, the upgrade expected after Glamsterdam. The Ethereum Foundation recently identified EIP-8141 as an execution-layer feature it wants included in Hegotá.

That does not make inclusion certain. The proposal is still being developed and is not yet live on Ethereum.

Base is independently progressing with EIP-8130. Developers can test the design through the Vibenet development network, while the proposal is planned for the Cobalt upgrade. Testnet and mainnet deployments are currently listed for September.

The end of the joint effort means Ethereum-based networks will not necessarily inherit a shared set of wallet rules. Developers creating wallets and applications for both Ethereum and Base may instead need to account for two distinct transaction architectures as each network follows its own development path.