Base deploys Beryl testnet upgrade with native token standard

Base has deployed the Beryl upgrade to the Sepolia testnet, scheduled the release of mainnet activation on June 25th, introduced native token standards, and reduced withdrawal times to Ethereum.

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

B20 introduces native asset publishing to Base

According to Base, B20 fully supports the ERC-20 specification and includes ERC-2612 authorization functionality that allows token holders to authorize spending through signatures rather than individual authorization transactions. The company said that existing wallets, exchanges, and indexers that support ERC-20 tokens can integrate B20 assets without modification.

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

This release includes a publisher toolkit with role-based permissions, minting and write controls, optional supply limits, transfer limits, and freeze and seizure capabilities for regulated publishers. Bass said issuers can choose between a general-purpose asset model and a stablecoin-specific model that uses six decimal digits of precision and customizable currency codes.

The company added that B20 is built on code audited by Base and security firm Spearbit. A future update will allow issuers to pay transaction fees with their own B20 tokens instead of ETH.

Withdrawal period shortened after changing Azul

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

According to Base, Multiproofs has created a fast withdrawal route that can complete the transaction in about a day if both proof systems match. The company added that zero-knowledge proof generation remains expensive, so adoption of this option is limited.

Beryl focuses on the withdrawal route that most users rely on. Base said the initial seven-day delay was due to the previous anti-fault framework, which allowed time for disputed withdrawals to be challenged. Multiproofs narrowed down the role of the delay to identifying and disabling flawed provers, which allowed the company to further reduce waiting periods.

This upgrade also includes Reth V2, the latest version of the Rust-based execution client that Base adopted after replacing the legacy OP Stack client through Azul. Base said this software update reduces storage requirements for full, minimal, and archive nodes, allowing for higher block gas targets without taxing sequencers or RPC infrastructure.

Beryl arrived on the Sepolia testnet approximately four weeks after Azul’s mainnet launch. Base attributes the shortened release cycle to its decision in February to move away from a shared dependency on Optimism’s OP stack and operate on its own integrated technology stack.

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