Ethlabs researcher: Ethereum and Base account abstraction standard collaboration has broken down

Ethlabs researcher Derek Chiang stated that the collaboration between Base and Ethereum regarding account abstraction around EIP-8130 and EIP-8141 (Frames) has broken down last week, with both parties advancing their respective AA standards.

He pointed out that for a long time, the EVM has been a unifying force between L1 and L2, and sharing an AA standard could have ensured a consistent multi-chain experience for smart accounts, including future post-quantum accounts. However, as the industry evolves, L1 and L2 are beginning to differentiate in terms of value and use cases: L1 pursues censorship resistance and capture, open source, privacy, and security, while L2 focuses on scalability, customization, and compliance.

Both sides agree on core use cases such as gasless transactions and passkey wallets, but there are significant differences in compliance requirements. Chiang believes that a lack of unified standards may not be a bad outcome, as both parties can maximize innovation according to their visions.

He proposed two paths: establishing a governance mechanism for shared resources like the EVM that covers more stakeholders, or accepting that a lack of unified standards is inevitable and focusing on building wallets and applications that can mask differences, expressing greater optimism about the second path.