Base Beryl, a new major upgrade for Coinbase-backed Layer-2 network Base, is now live on testnet as the company prepares to launch it on mainnet on June 25.
- The biggest change is B20, a new standard for tokens issued natively on Base.
- So far, most tokens on Base are deployed through smart contracts.
- But under B20, some token functions move directly into the network itself.
Base said in an X article Thursday, June 18, that the goal is to make it easier for companies to issue stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets and other regulated blockchain-based assets.
Base
B20 is also compatible with the widely used ERC-20 standard, meaning existing crypto wallets, exchanges and applications on Ethereum would also natively work with B20 tokens.
- Base added that B20 includes built-in tools for minting, burning, pausing and managing tokens, features that many issuers currently build separately.
Read also: Base token talk returns after Coinbase updates code on GitHub
Withdrawals get faster
Beryl also reduces the waiting time for most withdrawals from Base back to Ethereum.
As of press time, many withdrawals require users to wait seven days before funds can be finalized on Ethereum, a safeguard originally designed to give time to challenge fraudulent transactions before funds leave the network permanently.
- After Beryl, that period falls to five days for the most common withdrawal path.
Base said the change improves capital efficiency because users and bridge providers can access funds sooner.
More room for growth
The upgrade also includes Reth V2, a new version of the Reth execution client developed by Paradigm, an Ethereum-focused crypto investment firm co-founded by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam.
- Reth is now the only execution client used by Base following Azul, the earlier upgrade that moved Base to a simpler protocol design.
According to Base, the latest update reduces storage requirements for nodes and improves processing efficiency.
What comes next
Base says Beryl is part of a faster upgrade cycle enabled by its new Base Stack architecture. The next planned upgrade, Cobalt, is targeted for September 2026.
- According to the roadmap, Cobalt is expected to introduce native account abstraction, allowing features such as gas sponsorship and transaction batching directly at the protocol level, alongside additional B20 improvements.
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