Coinbase’s Base to focus on tokenized markets, stablecoins, developers this year
The move comes as the chain distances itself from Optimism technology and toward in-house infrastructure as it seeks greater independence and scale.
What to know:
- Base said it will focus on expanding tokenized asset markets, scaling stablecoin payments and growing its developer ecosystem as institutional interest in onchain finance rises.
- The Ethereum layer-2, introduced in 2023, is moving away from Optimism’s tech stack toward in-house infrastructure as it seeks greater independence and scale.
Base, the layer-2 network from Coinbase (COIN), is doubling down on its push to build what it calls a “global onchain economy,” outlining a 2026 strategy centered on markets, payments and developers.
Base is one of the most widely used layer-2 networks in the Ethereum ecosystem, having opened to public use in August 2023. It was initially built using Optimism’s OP Stack as part of the broader “Superchain” ecosystem, though the project has since signaled plans to differentiate its infrastructure as it scales. In February, the Coinbase team said the chain will increasingly rely on its own, in-house code.
Layer-2 blockchains are built on top of Ethereum and aim to increase speed and lower costs by processing transactions themselves, while still relying on Ethereum for security. The model has become a key part of Ethereum’s scaling strategy, enabling cheaper and faster transactions without moving activity entirely off the network. More recently, however, some Ethereum leaders, including co-founder Vitalik Buterin, have signaled a shift in focus toward scaling the base layer itself, leaving open questions about how layer-2 networks will fit into Ethereum’s evolving roadmap.
