Ethereum account abstraction was supposed to make crypto wallets feel less like crypto wallets. Instead, Ethereum and Base are now heading toward different standards after talks between the two networks failed to produce a shared approach.
The split emerged last week, according to Derek Chiang, a founding member and researcher at Ethlabs and a co-author of Ethereum’s EIP-8141 proposal. In a Monday post on X, Chiang said interoperability had taken a back seat to the individual priorities of each network.
That leaves wallets with an awkward new assignment: support different transaction formats across chains while still trying to make the experience feel seamless for users.
Account abstraction essentially gives wallets more programmable ways to authorize transactions and handle fees, moving beyond the rigid rules built into traditional blockchain accounts.
Ethereum Account Abstraction Is Taking Two Different Routes
Ethereum is moving forward with Frame Transactions under EIP-8141, which is being positioned as a centerpiece of the Hegotá upgrade. The proposal would bring native account abstraction to Ethereum and establish a route toward post-quantum authentication.
Base, meanwhile, is pursuing native account abstraction through Keystore under EIP-8130. The system is currently running on devnet, putting the layer-2 network on a separate technical track from Ethereum’s core implementation.
For wallet developers, that distinction could become very tangible. Supporting multiple transaction formats may be necessary to preserve a consistent interface as users move between Ethereum and Base.
The disagreement also reflects a broader difference in what layer-1 and layer-2 networks are trying to optimize. Chiang said Ethereum is increasingly emphasizing censorship resistance, resistance to capture, open-source principles, privacy and security, while scalability-focused layer-2 networks have shown stronger alignment with approaches such as EIP-8130.
That does not automatically make the split a failure. Chiang argued that going separate ways gives both networks room to develop account abstraction around their own priorities, saying they are now “free to innovate on AA to the maximal extent in accordance with their own visions.”
The catch is that the freedom to innovate may be less convenient for the wallets sitting between these ecosystems. As account abstraction becomes a more important part of how transactions work, wallet software could end up carrying more of the interoperability burden.
Ethereum’s next steps are tied to the Hegotá upgrade. Developers could begin implementing it in late 2026, following Glamsterdam, another major upgrade planned for the year.
Glamsterdam is intended to improve Ethereum’s scalability, strengthen the layer-1 network and make it easier to use. According to Ethereum’s public roadmap, its mainnet launch is expected in the second half of 2026.