Ethereum and Base Fail to Agree on Account Abstraction Standard, Increasing Wallet Developer Burden

Ethereum and Base have failed to establish a common account abstraction standard, leading each chain to pursue its own technical development path. According to CoinTelegraph, the discussion on integrating account abstraction standards between Ethereum and Base ultimately collapsed last week.

Account abstraction allows for programmable transaction approval methods and fee payment rules. Derek Chiang, co-author of Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 8141 and a founding member and researcher at Ethlabs, stated on X that 'as each chain's core goals were prioritized over interoperability standards, the two sides ultimately split, shifting this burden to wallet developers.'

Wallet developers now face the challenge of supporting different transaction formats to provide consistent user experiences across both networks. Ethereum is advancing frame transactions based on EIP-8141 as a key component of its upcoming Hegotá upgrade, while implementing native account abstraction and transitioning to a dual-key authentication system. Base is developing native account abstraction through EIP-8130-based KeyStore, currently operating on a developer testnet.

Chiang noted that this split does not necessarily lead to negative outcomes: 'Both Ethereum and Base can now freely develop account abstraction according to their own visions.' He explained that Layer 1 chains focus on censorship resistance, open source, privacy, and security, while scalability-focused Layer 2s are more aligned with standards like EIP-8130, highlighting the fundamental reason for the split.

Ethereum developers are considering implementing the Hegotá upgrade after late 2026. The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade, scheduled for a mainnet launch in the second half of 2026 per Ethereum's public roadmap, aims to improve scalability, strengthen Layer 1, and enhance network usability.