GnosisDAO has approved a proposal for Gnosis Chain to transition from a standalone layer-1 blockchain to a zero-knowledge (ZK) proven Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ) rollup. This move will integrate Gnosis Chain more closely with the Ethereum ecosystem and marks a major change in the project’s infrastructure roadmap.
Details of the governance vote
The community governance proposal, titled GIP-153, attracted high participation. It received 123,158 GNO tokens in support, 115 against, and 151 abstentions, with a total turnout of 123,425 GNO across 54 voters. This surpassed the established quorum of 75,000 GNO, confirming broad backing among stakeholders.
With approval secured, Gnosis Chain will retire its existing validator set, shifting its transaction settlement to Ethereum. This will effectively make Gnosis Chain a layer-2 (L2) solution, leveraging Ethereum’s validators for security and settlement instead of its own.
An initial launch is set for late 2026 or early 2027, provided that essential EEZ technology components are ready for deployment by then.
Technical advantages and integration with Ethereum
According to the proposal, smart contracts native to Gnosis Chain will be able to directly interact with Ethereum and access mainnet assets and liquidity within a single transaction. This functionality is positioned as a significant upgrade, aiming to offer features not currently present in other L2 networks.
The EEZ framework was co-developed by Gnosis and ZisK, with additional funding from the Ethereum Foundation. It is designed to support Ethereum-aligned rollups and minimize fragmentation in the existing layer-2 landscape.
This initiative targets existing challenges in Ethereum scaling, such as throughput optimization and fragmented liquidity, by enabling synchronous execution of smart contracts across multiple rollups without reliance on bridging.
Gnosis Chain will serve as the first live instance of the EEZ, while maintaining its current set of applications, user balances, and use of the xDAI gas token.
Mini dictionary: ZK-proven Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ) is a new rollup framework that employs zero-knowledge proofs to validate transactions and aims to enable secure, synchronous execution of smart contracts across aligned networks without the need for decentralized bridges.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has previously warned about the risks tied to centralization in sequencers and the bridging mechanisms used by some L2 solutions. In a Feb. 3 X post, Buterin argued for alternative approaches, suggesting the “original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense.”
| L2 Type | Settlement Network | Bridging Required | Validator Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Gnosis Chain (L1) | Gnosis Chain | Yes | Own |
| EEZ Rollup (future) | Ethereum | No (synchronous calls) | Ethereum Validators |
Data from L2Beat indicates that 22 Ethereum rollups now secure $27.82 billion, while the platform tracks $34.88 billion total value secured across rollups, validiums, optimiums and related scaling networks.
Industry response and impact
Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, stated that EEZ’s design could reduce the reliance on blockchain bridges, which have historically presented security vulnerabilities, and increase the usability of assets on EVM-compatible chains.
The EEZ is positioned to reduce the need for bridges, which are frequent attack points, and enhance the utility of assets across EVM networks, according to Kendrick’s research note.
Kendrick further noted that the platform can potentially foster greater composability, allowing smart contracts on different networks within the EEZ to interact directly in a single transaction.
Gnosis Chain is a smart contract platform focused on governance and community ownership. It was developed by the GnosisDAO, an organization dedicated to building decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem.
