Ethereum and Base Abandon Unified Wallet Standard

The Technical Divide Over Transaction Standards

Ethereum core developers and Coinbase-backed layer-2 network Base have officially abandoned negotiations to create a single, unified wallet standard after months of discussions failed to produce an agreement.

The breakdown in talks means developers building decentralized applications across both blockchain ecosystems must now navigate two completely separate transaction frameworks, creating potential fragmentation for everyday users.

The disagreement centers on competing proposals for how smart contract wallets should process transactions on the respective networks. Ethereum developers are moving forward with Ethereum Improvement Proposal 8141 to handle account abstraction and transaction formatting.

Will DApp Developers Struggle With Dual Systems?

Meanwhile, the Base network has chosen to support an alternative framework under Ethereum Improvement Proposal 8130. This split forces wallet providers and decentralized application developers to write customized code for each ecosystem rather than relying on a single, universal integration.

Supporting divergent transaction formats will likely increase the engineering workload for teams launching products on both Ethereum and Base. Applications that span multiple networks must now implement dual logic pathways to ensure compatibility with both EIP-8141 and EIP-8130 infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

The failure to reach a consensus highlights the ongoing challenges of governance and standardization within rapidly evolving blockchain ecosystems. As layer-2 scaling networks gain prominence, divergent technical paths could create lasting friction for cross-chain interoperability and user experience.

What caused the split between Ethereum and Base? Months of discussions failed to produce an agreement on a single transaction standard for smart contract wallets. Both sides chose to pursue separate technical proposals instead.

Which specific proposals are both networks using? Ethereum is advancing with EIP-8141, while the Coinbase-backed Base network has chosen to back EIP-8130 for its transaction infrastructure.