Ethereum and Base Split Over Account Abstraction Standard Development

Collaboration between the Ethereum Foundation and Coinbase's Layer 2 network, Base, regarding the standardization of account abstraction (AA) has officially concluded without a unified agreement. Ethlabs researcher Derek Chiang confirmed that the joint effort surrounding EIP-8130 and EIP-8141 (Frames) broke down last week, leading both entities to pursue independent development paths. This divergence marks a significant shift in the technical alignment between the primary Layer 1 (L1) blockchain and one of its most prominent scaling solutions.

Diverging Priorities Between L1 and L2 Architecture

For several years, the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) served as a unifying framework, ensuring a consistent user experience across different network layers. However, Chiang noted that the evolving demands of the industry have caused L1 and L2 visions to move in different directions. While both parties seek to implement gasless transactions and passkey-enabled wallets, their fundamental objectives have become increasingly distinct.

• Ethereum (L1) Objectives: Focused on censorship resistance, decentralization, privacy, and maximum security.
• Base (L2) Objectives: Prioritizing high scalability, customization, and regulatory compliance.
• Technical Disconnect: Disagreements regarding compliance requirements became a primary friction point in the standardization process.

Implications for Multi-Chain Smart Accounts

The breakdown of this collaboration suggests that smart accounts may soon lack a uniform standard across the broader ecosystem. According to Chiang, a shared standard would have facilitated a seamless multi-chain experience, particularly for post-quantum accounts and complex cryptographic signatures. Despite the split, the researcher suggests that non-uniformity may actually foster a higher degree of innovation, allowing each network to optimize its infrastructure for specific use cases without the constraints of a singular design.

Non-uniform standards are not necessarily a bad outcome, and both parties can maximize innovation according to their respective visions.

The industry will now watch how these two separate standards—EIP-8130 and EIP-8141—evolve independently. As Ethereum doubles down on its role as a neutral settlement layer, Base is expected to further integrate features that cater to mainstream adoption and corporate compliance. While this may lead to fragmentation in the short term, it provides a laboratory for testing which account abstraction models best serve different sectors of the digital asset economy.