Base’s B20 token standard was meant to be opened to issuers on June 26, but a second chain halt within two days has delayed the rollout of the B20 token.
The network completed its Beryl update on June 25, which includes B20 along with faster withdrawals and lighter node software. Activation of B20 issuance depends on a separate register that Base has not yet confirmed is operational.
Continuous downtime revives concerns about the sequencer
Base block production became unstable on June 26, a few hours before B20 was scheduled to be activated at 18:00 UTC. The team reported a chain halt with symptoms similar to the previous day, and restored the blocks in about 15 minutes.
The day before, an invalid block froze the sequencer at block 47,806,542 and stopped production for nearly two hours. The recovery required the ecosystem’s node operators to restart their machines both times.
None of the stoppages affected users' funds, which remain settled on Ethereum. Repeated errors instead put the spotlight on the sequencer, the one engine powered by Coinbase that sorts Base transactions.
Base reached Stage 1 decentralization in 2025 with validity proofs and a security council of ten members. These changes strengthened proofs and upgrades, but not the one sequencer that stalled.
The network ran for nearly two years without stopping, until a 20-minute outage in August 2025 first highlighted the sequencer’s centralization risk. The June stoppages now hit the largest Ethereum Layer-2 network, which, according to DeFiLlama, has around $4 billion in deposits.
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B20 launch awaits the activation registry
B20 is built into Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 network, as node software rather than a distributed contract. It mirrors the ERC-20 standard, so wallets and exchanges need no changes.
Base documentation said B20 issuance was expected at 18:00 UTC on June 26, followed by up to an hour before the activation registry was turned on. Until that happens, distribution attempts will be halted.
With the recent network stability issues, we're pushing back the B20 Activation Registry mainnet enablement to ensure a smooth rollout. Sepolia and Vibenet remain on track. We'll share a revised date shortly.
— Base Build (@buildonbase) June 26, 2026
The standard targets stablecoin and real-asset issuers with built-in supply limits, roles, and transfer rules. Base still has no native token, but now markets itself as a platform for issuance.
Beryl also reduced the time for canonical withdrawals from Ethereum from seven days to five, freeing up capital faster for bridge providers.
This should be monitored
Base has promised a full review after identifying the root cause behind both stoppages. Whether B20 is activated before the recurring stoppages are fixed will test Base’s scaling strategy, which attracts institutional issuers.