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Coinbase’s Base layer‑2 is now a “stage 1” rollup with a 10‑member security council and permissionless fault proofs, cutting reliance on Coinbase and locking
Coinbase’s Base network was officially classified as a “stage 1” rollup on April 29, 2025, marking its first step toward full decentralization and adding a ten‑member security council to oversee network upgrades【1】. The upgrade lowers the protocol’s dependence on Coinbase, a key concern for investors tracking the security of large‑scale rollups.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Rollup stage | Stage 1 (first decentralization milestone) |
| Security council | 10 independent entities worldwide |
| Locked value | $11.72 bn (largest rollup per L2Beat) |
| Fault proofs | Permissionless, anyone can verify transactions |
Base’s transition to stage 1 follows a framework introduced by Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin, which grades rollups on their degree of decentralization. Stage 1 rollups retain “limited training wheels” – they rely on a small set of guardrails such as a security council to approve critical upgrades, but they already allow permissionless fault proofs, meaning any participant can verify the state of transactions without a central authority【1】. This move aligns Base with other layer‑2 networks that have already reached the same milestone, signaling a broader industry shift away from centralized control.
At launch in August 2022, Base was built by the centralized exchange Coinbase. Since then, it has become the largest rollup, with $11.72 bn locked in the protocol according to L2Beat data cited by CoinDesk【1】. By reducing reliance on Coinbase through the security council and open fault proofs, Base aims to attract more developers and users who prioritize decentralization, potentially expanding its market share relative to competing rollups that remain more centralized.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Locked value | $11.72 bn |
| Security council members | 10 |
| Launch date | August 2022 |
Base’s stage 1 designation reduces the centralization risk that has long shadowed large rollups, but the network’s future trajectory will depend on how quickly it can move to deeper decentralization and how the security council manages upgrade governance.
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