Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has provided uncommon public reward for Coinbase’s Base community, describing it as a benchmark for a way Layer 2 options ought to perform.
In a Sept. 23 post on X, he argued that Base combines sensible usability with the safety ensures of Ethereum’s core chain, making a mannequin that balances comfort and decentralization.
Buterin identified that Base employs sure centralized mechanisms to enhance velocity and person expertise.
But, in contrast to exchanges or custodial providers, it doesn’t management person funds. As an alternative, withdrawals and asset security stay tied to Ethereum’s underlying infrastructure.
Base Stage 1
He defined that this strategy matches throughout the Stage 1 standards outlined by analytics platform L2Beat, the place even a community outage can not compromise customers’ proper to reclaim their belongings.
He acknowledged:
“Stage 1 implies that a safety council with a 75% vote can override the onchain code. Nevertheless, stage 1 additionally requires {that a} quorum-blocking (>=26%) portion of the council sits exterior the org that’s managing the L1. Therefore, the org can not unilaterally censor or steal by way of a safety council vote, so they aren’t a custodian.”
Notably, L2Beat identifies Base as one among solely eight tasks that qualify for Stage 1 standing, underlining Buterin’s declare that the chain features as an extension of Ethereum’s belief mannequin quite than a indifferent service.
In line with Buterin, calling Layer 2s “non-custodial” is greater than a branding train. Their safety derives from Ethereum’s good contract logic, which ensures Layer 1 finally controls the motion of funds.
This safeguard makes it unimaginable for operators to misappropriate belongings or selectively block withdrawals. He harassed that these protections should not summary theories however concrete technical pathways already written into Ethereum’s base layer.
Base dominance
Buterin’s endorsement comes as Base cements itself as one of the crucial lively L2 networks.
Data from L2Beat reveals the chain now handles round 160 transactions per second, amounting to almost 360 million transactions prior to now month.
When it comes to complete worth locked (TVL), Base has additionally climbed to almost $15 billion, second solely to Arbitrum’s roughly $20 billion.
A lot of this progress stems from Coinbase’s backing of the layer-2 resolution. The $85 billion agency gives technical assist and has prolonged its model credibility as the most important US-based crypto change to Base.
This involvement has helped amplify Base’s adoption, making it a dominant participant within the Layer 2 panorama.

