Ethereum, Base Wallet Standards Talks Fail, Ethlabs Researcher Says

The two chains have ceased working toward a shared account abstraction standard, with both Ethereum and Base moving forward on separate designs instead. Derek Chiang, a founding member and researcher at Ethlabs and a co-author of Ethereum’s EIP-8141 proposal, is the person most aware of this shift.

On Monday, Chiang wrote about the split, arguing that standards for compatibility were pushed down the list of priorities for each chain’s own aims. He said this pressure was placed on wallets instead, which means developers will probably need to support separate transaction formats to keep things working across networks.

What Account Abstraction Does

A major shift in how accounts operate is account abstraction, which lets users establish their own rules for approving transactions and covering fees. Both Ethereum and Base desire it, though their approaches to it differ significantly.

Ethereum’s Path Under EIP-8141

Ethereum is moving forward with Frame Transactions under EIP-8141 as a “headliner” item under its Hegotá upgrade. That upgrade would bring native account abstraction and create a path toward post-quantum authentication.

Base Goes Its Own Way With Keystore

The two chains share the same objective, but Base has chosen a distinct path to reach it. Instead of following the same approach, Base is constructing native account abstraction through Keystore under EIP-8130, and that design is currently live on devnet.

Different Priorities Between L1 and L2

Chiang described a clear split in priorities between layer-1 and layer-2 networks. He said L1s are increasingly focused on censorship, capture-resistance, open-source, privacy and security features, which pushes them toward different account standards. By contrast, scalability-focused L2s are more aligned with standards like EIP-8130.

The disagreement between the two chains comes down to a fundamental split in priorities: one side places security above all else, while the other puts speed at the top of its list. That gap is what kept them apart.

What This Means for Wallet Developers

The real burden lands on the companies building the software that links users to the chains. Developers of wallets will need to support distinct transaction formats just to maintain a consistent experience across networks. This is additional labor, and it is precisely the sort of friction that hampers adoption.

Chiang’s Take on the Split

Chiang argued that the separation will not necessarily result in a bad outcome. Both Ethereum and Base are now “free to innovate on AA to the maximal extent in accordance with their own visions,” he said.

It’s a generous way of looking at things. The divide exists, and it forces wallets to carry more responsibility. However, the thinking behind it holds up: each chain pursues its own objectives, and those objectives point chains down separate technical roads.

The Timeline for Ethereum’s Upgrade

Late 2026, after Glamsterdam, Ethereum developers may start putting Hegotá into practice. Glamsterdam aims to boost scalability, strengthen the L1, and ease how the network gets used, with a mainnet launch expected sometime in the second half of 2026, per Ethereum’s public roadmap.

The Bottom Line

It is a fact that there has been a division, and it is worth remarking upon. Provided that wallets can keep pace, the experience for users should remain seamless. For developers, however, the task has now grown somewhat more demanding.

1. Ethereum moves forward with Frame Transactions under EIP-8141 as a headliner item under its Hegotá upgrade.
2. Base constructs native account abstraction through Keystore under EIP-8130, with that design live on devnet.
3. Wallet developers will need to support distinct transaction formats to maintain a consistent experience across networks.
4. Chiang argues that the separation allows both chains to innovate freely according to their own visions.

account abstraction · Base · blockchain · crypto · Ethereum · wallet standards