Base launches Cobalt upgrade with conditional transactions and B20 asset tools
Coinbase layer-2 network Base has deployed its Cobalt upgrade to mainnet, introducing conditional Validity Transactions, expanded controls for native B20 tokens, and combined compliance list logic.
Coinbase layer-2 network Base has deployed its Cobalt upgrade on mainnet, marking the network's third major upgrade. The rollout brings engineering improvements aimed at transaction flexibility and upgrade automation, while expanding the chain's native B20 token standard and introducing conditional transactions for traders.[4][2][7][6]
Under the upgraded B20 standard, issuers gain access to new compliance controls and functionality supporting corporate actions such as stock splits. The upgrade adds an opt-in seizeWithMemo feature that allows authorized administrators to reassign a seized balance to another wallet with an onchain note rather than destroying it, replacing the burnBlocked tool introduced in Base's previous Beryl upgrade. Issuers can also combine two to four allowlists or blocklists—including external registries from KYC providers—using AND or OR logic evaluated live at each transfer check.[4][3][5][6]
For traders, Cobalt introduces Validity Transactions, which remain private until they land onchain and execute only once set conditions—such as minimum balances, contract states, or block-number deadlines—are fulfilled. According to Crypto Briefing, Cobalt's automation and flexibility enhancements could streamline future developments and reduce disruptions, while also fueling market speculation regarding a potential future network token launch.[4][1][2]
Key facts
- Base launched its Cobalt upgrade on mainnet, representing the network's third major upgrade.
- Cobalt introduces Validity Transactions that wait to execute until preset conditions, such as account balances or block deadlines, are met.
- The upgrade gives B20 token issuers an opt-in seizeWithMemo tool to move a seized balance to another wallet with an onchain note instead of burning it.
- Issuers can link two to four allowlists or blocklists using AND/OR logic that is checked live during token transfers.
- B20 updates also add support for actions such as stock splits alongside new compliance controls.
- Base's future roadmap includes native smart-contract wallet support and cutting block times from two seconds to 200 milliseconds.
- Crypto Briefing reported that Cobalt's improvements have increased speculation and optimism about a potential future token launch.
Sources · 6 sources
- CB
Crypto BriefingArticle ·
Base launches Cobalt upgrade with conditional transactions, B20 enhancements The Cobalt upgrade could boost Base's ecosystem, increasing speculation and optimism about a potential future token launch. The post Base launches Cobalt upgrade with conditional transactions, B20 enhancements appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
Open source - CB
Crypto BriefingArticle ·
Cobalt hits Base mainnet with engineering improvements targeting transaction flexibility and upgrade automation Cobalt's enhancements in transaction flexibility and upgrade automation could streamline future network developments and reduce operational disruptions. The post Cobalt hits Base mainnet with engineering improvements targeting transaction flexibility and upgrade automation appeared first on Crypto Briefing .
Open source - LS
Laura Shin@laurashinPost on X ·
Base's Cobalt upgrade is live. Issuers of B20 tokens that turn on seizure can now send a seized balance to another wallet, with a note recorded onchain, instead of burning it. https://t.co/5bDjLjCUo9
Open source - UN
UnchainedArticle ·
Base’s Cobalt Upgrade Lets Token Issuers Move Seized Balances Instead of Burning Them Coinbase’s layer-2 network Base said its Cobalt upgrade went live on mainnet on Wednesday, giving issuers of tokens built on B20 , a token standard native to the chain itself, a new way to remove a holder’s balance: moving it to another wallet, with a note recorded onchain, rather than destroying it. The new function, seizeWithMemo , supersedes a tool from Base’s previous upgrade, Beryl , which introduced B20 with freeze and blocklist powers. That tool, burnBlocked, could only burn a blocked holder’s tokens; Base has deprecated it but left it callable. Under Cobalt, an administrator the issuer authorizes can send a holder’s balance to another address, such as a recovery wallet, as one transfer, which Base’s developer documentation describes as “A transfer, not a burn.” “Seize is opt-in per token,” the documentation says. The function does nothing until an issuer names which holders can be seized and grants the seize permission to specific administrators. “The issuer controls whether seizure is enabled and who is authorized to use it; Base does not initiate or direct this transfer,” Base wrote in its announcement. Unchained covered B20’s launch in July. Get Unchained’s crypto news in your inbox with the free Unchained Daily newsletter . Combined Allowlists and Blocklists Issuers can also combine two to four existing allowlists or blocklists, including lists kept by other parties such as a KYC provider, into one rule using AND or OR logic, for example requiring that a holder be on a KYC allowlist and not on a sanctions blocklist. The token reads those lists live when it checks a transfer, so a change to any one of them applies from the next check. Until now, an issuer relying on several lists had to maintain its own combined copy with offchain software, a copy that Base’s changelog says could fall out of date. Conditional Transactions for Traders Cobalt also introduces Validity Transactions . A trader signs a transaction and attaches conditions, such as a minimum account balance, a value stored in a contract or a block-number deadline, and Base waits to include it until every condition is true. Base’s own example is a swap that executes only once a pool’s price clears a threshold. Base says the feature keeps traders’ submissions “private until they land,” and its documentation says the conditions themselves are not recorded onchain. Meeting the conditions does not guarantee a spot in a block: “Predicates are inclusion conditions. They do not guarantee inclusion or successful execution,” the documentation says, using Base’s term for the conditions. Cobalt is Base’s third network upgrade. Base says its plans for the coming months include Base Transactions, native support for smart-contract wallets whose fees someone else can pay and which can bundle several actions into one, and blocks every 200 milliseconds, down from two seconds. Related Listen: How the Bitget Hack Reopened Crypto’s Fight Over Neutral Infrastructure The post Base’s Cobalt Upgrade Lets Token Issuers Move Seized Balances Instead of Burning Them appeared first on Unchained .
Open source - CT
Coin TelegraphArticle ·
Base completes Cobalt upgrade, adds new tools for tokenized assets Base’s Cobalt lets traders set transaction conditions while giving issuers tools for compliance checks, stock splits and forced token transfers.
Open source - CB
Crypto Briefing@Crypto_BriefingPost on X ·
🔵 NEW: Base rolls out Cobalt on mainnet, adding conditional transactions designed for more advanced trading strategies. The upgrade also expands Base’s B20 token standard with new compliance controls and support for actions such as stock splits. https://t.co/gQCdYzQGT4
Open source - TB
The BlockArticle ·
Base launches Cobalt upgrade with conditional transactions and new B20 asset functions Base has launched Cobalt, adding conditional transactions and new functions for assets issued under its B20 standard.
Open source