Key Takeaways
Base, Coinbase's Ethereum Layer-2 network, will activate its Beryl mainnet upgrade on June 25, introducing B20, a native token standard for issuing stablecoins, real-world assets, and other onchain tokens.
B20 runs as code built into Base's node software rather than as a separate smart contract, which Base expects to eventually make transfers about 50% cheaper while keeping full ERC-20 compatibility.
Beryl also cuts the standard Base-to-Ethereum withdrawal wait from seven days to five and ships a built-in compliance toolkit, including the ability to freeze and burn tokens held by blocked addresses.
Base, the Ethereum Layer-2 network built by Coinbase, will activate its Beryl mainnet upgrade on June 25, the company said, introducing a native token standard called B20. The upgrade has been live on Base's test network since June 18.
B20 is the part that matters most for builders. Instead of deploying each token as a separate smart contract, B20 tokens run as code embedded directly in Base's node software, which Base says makes transfers cheaper and faster while keeping full compatibility with existing wallets, exchanges, and apps, per CryptoBriefing. The network expects native execution to eventually cut transfer costs by about 50% and double throughput.
The standard is aimed at issuers of stablecoins, real-world assets, and long-tail tokens, and it ships with a compliance toolkit that would normally take months to build, as Base documentation describes. That includes supply caps, role-based controls, transfer rules, and a freeze-and-seize function that lets an issuer burn tokens held by blocked addresses. Base said the toolkit was audited by Base and Spearbit.
That last feature cuts both ways. Built-in freeze and burn controls make regulated issuance easier, and they also hand issuers direct power over balances that users hold, a tradeoff that has surfaced before when stablecoin issuers froze funds, Bitcoin.com News noted. It is the cost of making compliance native rather than optional.
Beryl also trims the standard withdrawal wait from Base to Ethereum from seven days to five and swaps in a faster node client called Reth V2. The move fits a wider race to become the place where money gets issued onchain, the same ground Stripe and Paradigm staked out with their Tempo blockchain and the shift the IMF called a structural change in financial architecture. Base's next upgrade, Cobalt, targets September and is expected to let users pay gas in their own tokens.
People Also Ask
What is Base's Beryl upgrade?
Beryl is Base's second network upgrade, activating on mainnet June 25, 2026. It introduces the B20 token standard, shortens withdrawal times, and upgrades node software with Reth V2.
What is the B20 token standard?
B20 is Base's native token standard, built into the chain's node software rather than as a separate smart contract. It stays fully ERC-20 compatible and includes built-in compliance tools for issuers.
Is B20 the same as BEP-20?
No. BEP-20 is a token standard on Binance's BNB Chain. B20 is Base's own standard and follows the ERC-20 specification used on Ethereum and its Layer-2 networks.
When does the Base Beryl upgrade go live?
Base targets June 25, 2026 at 18:00 UTC for the Beryl mainnet activation, after the upgrade went live on the Base Sepolia testnet on June 18.