Base’s Cobalt upgrade: Conditional transactions, token controls

6.8 Tech

Sep 30, 2026

Base’s Cobalt upgrade adds conditional transactions, improved B20 token controls, dynamic node upgrades, and new asset management tools for greater flexibility and tokenized finance support.

Base, the Ethereum Layer 2 network, has launched its Cobalt hard fork on mainnet, marking the third major upgrade in 2026. This upgrade introduces validity transactions, allowing execution only when specific onchain conditions are met, giving traders more control over timing. The B20 token standard receives enhancements, such as the seizeWithMemo function, which lets authorized administrators move seized balances to another wallet instead of burning them. It also enables combining allowlists and blocklists using AND/OR logic, and adds scheduled multiplier updates, simplified transfer-blocking, and new policy types for B20 tokens. Cobalt also lays the foundation for dynamic, onchain-scheduled node upgrades and streamlines TEE prover registration. These improvements aim to make Base more flexible, efficient, and upgradeable, supporting its expansion into tokenized finance and new use cases for B20 tokens, including tokenized US stocks.