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 on Thursday that Beryl adds 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 reduces 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 permit functionality, which allows token holders to authorize spending through signatures rather than separate approval transactions. The company said 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 inside Base’s node software. Base said the token logic is written in Rust and executes directly within the protocol rather than through EVM bytecode.

The release includes an Issuer Toolkit with role-based permissions, minting and burning controls, optional supply limits, transfer restrictions, and freeze and seizure capabilities intended for 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 audited 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.

Withdrawal period shortened after Azul changes

Beryl extends work introduced through Azul, Base’s first independent network upgrade that 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.

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

Beryl focuses on the withdrawal route most users rely on. Base said the original seven-day delay came from its earlier fault-proof framework, which reserved time for challenges against disputed withdrawals. Multiproofs narrowed the role of that delay to identifying and disabling faulty provers, which allowed the company to reduce the waiting period further.

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

Beryl reached the Sepolia testnet about four weeks after Azul’s mainnet launch. 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 its next planned upgrade, Cobalt, is targeted for September. Base expects that release to introduce native account abstraction with protocol-level smart accounts, gas sponsorship, transaction batching, additional B20 functionality, and a unified node binary that combines consensus and execution clients.