Base rolls out Beryl testnet upgrade with native token standard

Base has deployed its Beryl upgrade to the Sepolia testnet and has scheduled the release for mainnet activation on June 25, introducing a native token standard and reducing withdrawal times to Ethereum.

Base’s engineering team said in a blog post Thursday that Beryl is adding B20, a protocol-level token standard that allows issuers to create stablecoins and other assets directly within Base’s node software. The company said the upgrade also shortens the standard withdrawal period from Base to Ethereum from seven days to five days for the route most bridging providers currently use.

B20 brings native asset issuance to Base

Base said B20 supports the full ERC-20 specification and includes ERC-2612 authorization functionality, which allows token holders to authorize spend via signatures instead of separate approval transactions. The company said existing wallets, exchanges and indexers that support ERC-20 tokens can integrate B20 assets without modifications.

Unlike traditional ERC-20 tokens that operate via smart contracts, B20 tokens run as pre-compiled contracts in Base’s node software. Base said the token logic is written in Rust and executed directly within the protocol rather than through EVM bytecode.

The release includes an Issuer Toolkit with role-based permissions, coin creation and burning controls, optional supply limits, transfer restrictions, and freeze and seizure capabilities aimed at regulated issuers. Base said issuers can choose between a general-purpose asset model and a stablecoin-specific model that uses six decimal precision and a customizable currency code.

The company added that B20 is built on code reviewed by Base and security firm Spearbit. Future updates are expected to allow issuers to pay transaction fees with their own B20 tokens instead of ETH.

Wait time reduced after Azul changes

Beryl expands on the work introduced through Azul, Base’s first independent network upgrade that hit the mainnet in May. Azul introduced Multiproofs, a system that combines trusted execution environment proofs and zero-knowledge proofs to verify recordings and improve security.

Base said Multiproofs has created a fast withdrawal route capable of completing transactions in approximately one day if both proof systems agree. The company added that the option has limited adoption because generating zero-knowledge proofs remains expensive.

Beryl focuses on the withdrawal route that most users rely on. Base said the original seven-day delay stemmed from the previous error-proof framework, which set aside time for challenges to disputed recordings. Multiproofs limited the role of that delay to identifying and disabling faulty provers, allowing the company to further reduce latency.

The upgrade also includes Reth V2, the latest version of the Rust-based execution client that Base adopted after replacing older OP Stack clients via Azul. Base said the software update reduces storage requirements for full, minimal and archive nodes and enables higher block gas targets without overwhelming the sequencer or RPC infrastructure.

Beryl hit the Sepolia testnet about four weeks after the launch of Azul’s mainnet. Base attributed the faster release cycle to its February decision to move away from a shared dependency on Optimism’s OP Stack and operate on its own unified technology stack.

The company said the next planned upgrade, Cobalt, is scheduled for September. Base expects this release to introduce native account abstraction with protocol-level smart accounts, gas sponsorship, transaction batching, additional B20 functionality, and a unified binary node that combines consensus and execution clients.