When Is A Token Coming For Coinbase’s Base L2? Here’s What The Roadmap Says

Crypto exchange Coinbase announced and launched the testnet for its very own Layer 2 blockchain called Base earlier in February 2023. Since the launch, there have been speculations about the exchange launching a token for the L2, which has now been clarified in the newly released roadmap for Base.

Following the launch of Base, crypto exchange Coinbase made it known that there were no plans to actually launch a token for the Layer 2 blockchain. Nevertheless, this did not stop the speculations, but with the release of its roadmap, the team seems to have put an abrupt halt to all rumors regarding a token.

The roadmap which was published on Wednesday on the Coinbase website clearly states that “Base has no plans to issue a network token.” Instead, it will continue to operate like most other Ethereum Layer 2 blockchains, using ETH as a way to carry out transactions and pay for gas fees.

As the L2 moves closer toward a mainnet launch, the team is rather focusing on builders on the chain. It is also looking toward upgrading Optimism’s Bedrock, as well as all of the reviews and audits while making sure the testate remains stable.

“We’ve been building towards Mainnet Genesis, the first step of delivering a decentralized platform that scales Ethereum with fast, low-cost and secure transactions. As we prepare to upgrade from testnet to mainnet, we want to build in the open and keep the community informed of our roadmap and status,” the statement said.

While blockchain is still not as mainstream as industry participants would like, they are being developed rapidly. As Coinbase enters the L2 space, it is coming into fierce competition with other L2s that are already live on the mainnet.

The likes of Optimism and Arbitrum have seen a reasonable level of success since their launch, which signals that Base could be just as successful. However, one thing the former have are tokens that are already trading across major exchanges. As such, they may continue to see the most interest from investors who are chasing gains from these tokens.

Nevertheless, Base is still a highly anticipated L2 expected to launch in mainnet sometime in 2023. There is no reason to doubt Coinbase’s stance in not creating a token, but this could always change as Arbitrum operated for two years before launching a token.

Arbitrum, Polygon, and Optimism remain the dominant L2s in the space with total value locked of $2.31 billion, $986.88 million, and $881.1 million respectively.