After the Ethereum Pectra upgrade hits the mainnet on May 7th, the base network sprints to leverage and scale the fork.
In an interview with Beincrypto, Jesse Pollak, head of bases and Coinbase wallets, explains that it has doubled in pioneering transaction throughput and smart wallet evolution.
More blobs per block double throughput
The much-anticipated Ethereum Pectra upgrade hits the mainnet on May 7th, unlocking powerful new features such as the EIP-7702 and increasing the blob capacity that supports rollup scalability.
For Jesse Pollack, head of Coinbase bases and protocols, not only marks a new chapter in Ethereum, but the upgrade will allow bases’ ambitions to expand access to the on-chain economy.
Specifically, Pollak pointed out that Pectra increases Ethereum data throughput by increasing the number of blobs per block from 3-6-6-9. He said this would directly affect base and other layer 2 scaling solutions that rely on Ethereum for data availability.
“The Pectra Upgrade doubles Ethereum’s ability to protect L2 transactions, including bases. This ranges from a new range of 3-6 blobs/blocks from a new range of 6-9 blobs/blocks. He said that the ecosystem could handle twice as many transactions per second and will rely on interviews as more activity keeps up.
The base, launched by Coinbase in 2023, has already become the major Ethereum Layer 2 after abdicated Anbitrum.
Top 10 L2 rollups for TVS Metrics. Source: L2Beat
Pollak has confirmed that the team is actively pushing for a bold new throughput milestone.
“We set an aggressive stretch goal at the beginning of the year, expanding our base to 250 mgas/s block space throughput and running to achieve that,” he said.
This is closely aligned with Ethereum’s wider scaling roadmap. Developers like Tim Baiko have confirmed that Pectra is a stepping stone for even larger blob capacity by the end of the year. He said the Fork could see more than 10 times the starting point for the Dencun upgrade.
Pectra smartly turns your wallet and is ready for the base
Meanwhile, one of Pectra’s most transformative upgrades is the EIP-7702. This improvement proposal allows existing Ethereum accounts to be upgraded to smart wallets without changing their address or losing their assets history.
“Pectra’s 7702 allows for smart wallet upgrades. Previously, people had to create new smart wallets to take advantage of this technology, including gas sponsorships and smart permissions. This upgrade allows anyone to upgrade to a smart wallet with all their assets and history and maintain the same wallet address.”
The basic creator went further and compared the experience to a seamless technical transition. He said it was “like switching from a landline to a smartphone without changing your phone number.”
In particular, the base is already building towards this future. In August 2024, Pollak revealed plans to launch a “dream wallet” within 6-12 months to convert Web2 storage. Beincrypto reported that the wallet of the future is 10 times better than existing Web2 or on-chain solutions, improving security and scalability.
“I sketched out a “dream wallet” that is 10 times better than anything on Web2 and Onchain today. Many tough challenges need to be resolved, but I think we will be able to get there in the next 6-12 months. On-chain is 100 times better than online,” Pollak shared in August.
Using Pectra makes that vision easier to realize. Jesse Pollak is committed to improving our products to ensure that users are satisfied with the unified account experience.
“Users don’t have to start a new smart wallet and transfer assets. They have the option to upgrade their existing EOA wallet and bring in all their existing assets and identities,” he said in an interview.
Scaling Beyond Pectra: Fusaka and the Way of the Destination
Furthermore, Pollak emphasized that Pectra is just one milestone in global on-chain scalability. The base is directly contributing to the future of Ethereum’s open source, open standards, he said.
“Ethereum is built on open source and open standards, and Base is an active contribution to these standards as an important part of our commitment to building open,” said the base executive.
He first earned Dencun upgrades by unlocking sub-cent transaction costs, eliminating the major barriers with millions of users.
As Pectra further increased the blob space, Pollak highlighted the active role of the base in the development process.
“Base contributed to this upgrade through deep technical research and development work and community evangelism,” Pollack revealed.
He pointed to Ethereum’s next major milestone, Fusaka upgrades. According to Pollak, Fusaka Fork will add even more blob capacity.
“Our ultimate goal is to scale our networks so that more people are on-chained to keep transaction costs low,” he said.
The future of seamless and scalable on-chain access
As Pectra is currently live, there are base benefits directly from the L1’s enhanced infrastructure in terms of throughput and user experience.
As Ethereum continues to grow with upgrades like Fusaka, the bases have taken up a major builder and beneficiary of the broader ecosystem. For now, Pollack’s vision is clear. He aims to push boundaries, scale responsibly and have the next billion users without compromising affordability or simplicity.
Base TVL and DEX volumes. Source: Defilama
Base TVL (Locked Total) was $3.75 billion (blue) at the time of writing, a 21% surge from $3.063 billion on May 7th. Similarly, the DEX volume (green) is also increasing, suggesting an increase in user trust, liquidity and Defi adoption.
