America’s main digital foreign money alternate coinbase launched the Ethereum Layer 2 community Base in 2023, penetrating deeper into the on-chain financial system.
Initially touted as a “‘bridge’ for customers to the crypto financial system,” Base was designed to accommodate Coinbase’s present on-chain merchandise and supply an open ecosystem for tens of millions of recent decentralized apps.
Since its launch, Base has grown to grow to be one of many main companies. Ethereum Layer 2 networks characterize an essential a part of on-chain tradition and exercise.
Study every little thing you have to find out about Base beneath.
What’s a base?
Base is a layer 2 community of Ethereum created by an American cryptocurrency alternate. coinbase Constructed on open supply requirements, Base leverages Optimistic Rollup, a know-how that batches and processes transactions to assist customers get monetary savings on fuel payments.
Because of this, buying and selling on Base gives customers considerably cheaper and quicker transactions in comparison with buying and selling on the Ethereum mainnet, whereas benefiting from the safety of a layer 1 blockchain.
Why did Coinbase launch Base?
Coinbase launched Base to assist clear up the vital downside of introducing new customers and builders to cryptocurrencies, with the hope of at some point bringing “billions of customers to the crypto financial system.”
With this in thoughts, the corporate wanted to discover a means to offer builders and customers with safer, cheaper, and quicker functions and merchandise. To take action, Base’s Layer 2 blockchain is designed to be open supply, decentralized, and interoperable, leveraging the transparency of open supply code to function a “bridge, not an island” to different main crypto ecosystems, sustaining a dedication to eliminating pointless intermediaries.
Does Base have tokens?
In contrast to many different layer 2 networks, Base doesn’t have a local token and as an alternative makes use of Ethereum as a fuel token to facilitate transactions on the community.
Many cryptocurrency customers have speculated that the chain may ultimately get its personal tokens, however the alternate was adamant till lately that it had no plans to challenge base tokens.
“We now have no plans to create a token for Base,” stated Brian Armstrong, CEO of the corporate. decryption The corporate caught with this coverage for 2 years in 2023, however the firm’s chief authorized officer stated it “has not utterly eradicated it.”
In September 2025, Base pivoted from its earlier messaging, tweeting that it was “starting to discover community tokens.” Nevertheless, Coinbase reiterated that there are “no closing plans” to launch tokens for the Base community.
Base is beginning to examine community tokens
We’re nonetheless within the early phases of consideration and should not have any particulars to share concerning timing, design, or governance. We’re dedicated to constructing a neighborhood collaboratively and in an open surroundings. pic.twitter.com/KUKzrfjzXT
— Base (@base) September 15, 2025
Whereas there are at the moment no native token rewards provided to these constructing on-chain, the community will provide grants and funding alternatives to builders for efforts to deliver customers and functions to the Layer 2 community.
What are you able to do with Base?
Base has dozens of apps and protocols that assist gaming, social, gaming, and different on-chain actions. DeFiproviding customers a variety of potential actions.
DeFi
The bottom holds greater than $3.78 billion in whole worth locked (TVL) funds. sensible contract In line with DefiLlama information, it’s on chain.
Topping the checklist is decentralized lending platform Morpho, whose chain has a TVL of $1.88 billion.
Different conventional DeFi gamers embrace uniswap and AAVE have a big presence on Coinbase’s L2, with smaller protocols like Moonwell and Pendle holding over $100 million in TVL as properly.
recreation
Base has a sturdy gaming ecosystem highlighted by its gaming-centric Layer 3 community B3, which hosts roughly 244 video games and over 7 million wallets. Constructed by former members of the Base group, this ecosystem has attracted outstanding Web3 recreation publishers comparable to Parallel Studios and Nifty Island.
Different video games comparable to Frenpet, Aavegotchi, and Heroes of Mavia are additionally based mostly in Base.
client software
Past gaming and DeFi, Layer 2 networks are host to a wide range of client functions, from neighborhood artwork to restaurant loyalty applications.
One of many prime examples related to Base is the decentralized social media protocol Farcaster and its fashionable Warpcast consumer. They provide blockchain-based options to fashionable social media websites comparable to X and Fb.
Base can also be dwelling to tons of of token launchpads like Flaunch, restaurant loyalty platform Blackbird, collectible sticker platform Sofamon, and extra.
Base integration stack
Initially launched as an OP stack chain leveraging layer 2 networking Optimism, in February 2026 Base introduced a transfer to its personal unified “Base/Base” stack, citing a necessity to extend the tempo of shipments and cut back “cognitive overload” for builders.
Bass’ plan to discontinue its relationship with Optimism will finish a three-year dependency beneath which a portion of the sequencer’s income can be donated to Optimism’s treasury beneath a licensing settlement. The transfer will permit Base to generate further income in addition to better independence beneath a home-run know-how stack that’s optimized “on to our use instances.”
The mission stays a Stage 1 distributed rollup and can proceed to work with Optimism as a consumer on OP Enterprise: Mission-Essential Assist whereas including unbiased signatories to the Base Safety Council as a part of the transition.
How is Base completely different from different blockchains?
Coinbase’s scaling community is the biggest Ethereum Layer 2 community within the crypto financial system at present, internet hosting over $1.7 billion extra TVL than the subsequent largest Layer 2 community, Arbitrum, in response to DefiLlama.
But it surely would not simply outperform layer 2 blockchains when it comes to monetary efficiency. Evaluating Base to all different blockchains, together with layer 1 networks comparable to Solana and Ethereum, it ranks ninth in every day lively addresses over the previous 12 months, with just below 1 million every day lively addresses, in response to information from Token Terminal.
Furthermore, in response to Tokenterminal information, the chain ranks seventh amongst different Layer 2 networks for core builders, beneath tasks comparable to Optimism, Arbitrum, Linea, and zkSync Period.
What does the long run maintain for bass?
Base’s overarching objective has at all times been to deliver billions of customers on-chain and in the end broaden the cryptocurrency ecosystem past its present consumer inhabitants.
To realize these objectives and extra, the chain is bettering the developer expertise by using AI brokers and extra, ramping up app distribution to assist promote its rising suite of merchandise, and specializing in decreasing onboarding to lower than 60 seconds when working with sensible wallets.
This text was up to date in February 2026.
