Base B20: Native Token Standard With Freeze Powers Buyers Can't See

Coinbase's layer-2 network Base activated B20, a token standard with freeze-and-seize powers baked into the protocol, on mainnet this week through the Beryl upgrade.

B20 tokens run as a native precompile inside the chain's node software, written in Rust, rather than as a smart contract deployed on top. That means the token logic lives in the chain itself, not at a contract address. The standard keeps ERC-20 compatibility for wallets and exchanges.

It builds in role-based permissions, supply caps, pausing, transfer allowlists and blocklists, memos, and freeze-and-seize authority. Base pitches B20 at stablecoin issuers and real-world-asset projects. The code was audited by Base and security firm Spearbit. The network aims to make itself a destination for regulated token issuance.

A catch exists for anyone buying tokens on B20. Because the tokens are native precompiles rather than contracts, existing block explorers and indexers do not read them. A holder cannot see who controls the freeze, mint, and admin roles for a given token.

One developer building tools to read B20 tokens pointed out the problem on X.

"The freeze / mint / admin powers are baked into the token, and a buyer has no source to read them."

Base Build, the network's developer account, acknowledged the launch as a starting point.

"Most tokens are smart contracts deployed on top of a chain. B20 tokens are native to Base."

The account said the next upgrade, Cobalt, is expected around September. B20's roadmap includes roughly 50% cheaper transfers and letting users pay gas fees in the tokens themselves.