Binance has announced that it will support the upcoming Base network upgrade and hard fork, planned for September 30, 2026. Binance is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, while Base is an Ethereum layer 2 solution developed by Coinbase, a leading US-based crypto platform.
Base prepares for major technical upgrade
The Base network will undergo a significant update known as the Cobalt upgrade, scheduled to take place around 18:00 UTC on September 30, 2026. This upgrade is designed to enhance the network’s underlying technology and broaden its capabilities for developers and users.
According to the announcement, Cobalt will improve the B20 token standard by allowing users to pay transaction fees in B20 tokens, enable multiplier updates, simplify blocked transfers, and introduce new Union and Intersect policies. Additionally, Cobalt will support validity transactions and establish Ethereum smart contract-based dynamic node upgrades, enabling nodes to access live upgrade information directly from the blockchain.
Mini dictionary: Base, an Ethereum layer 2 protocol, is built to increase transaction speed and reduce costs by processing data off the main Ethereum chain while maintaining security through the underlying blockchain.
Among the largest technical changes, Cobalt will migrate TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) signer registration from external systems to full onchain attestation verification, enabling AWS Nitro attestations to be fully validated within the Base network using checked P-384 hints. This replaces the previous approach involving RISC Zero and Boundless proving flows.
Binance stated that the upgrade is expected to proceed smoothly, and trading on the Base network will not be affected. All technical requirements will be managed internally and deposits and withdrawals for Base network tokens will be temporarily suspended starting at 17:00 UTC on September 30, 2026, approximately one hour ahead of the planned upgrade.
| Event | Date and Time (UTC) | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit/Withdrawal Suspension | September 30, 2026, 17:00 | Temporarily halted |
| Network Upgrade & Hard Fork | September 30, 2026, 18:00 | Technical changes applied |
| Trading on Binance | No disruption | Continues as normal |
Cobalt upgrade introduces new Base features
The Cobalt upgrade will not only advance technical standards, but it also aims to streamline network operations. Key improvements include dynamic upgrades that allow Base nodes to receive and implement upgrade instructions directly from an Ethereum smart contract—significantly reducing maintenance delays.
Users will benefit from new policies and scheduled multiplier updates within the B20 token system, which are expected to offer greater control and flexibility in network transactions. The simplification of blocked transfers also marks an operational improvement, making token management easier for both developers and users.
Mini dictionary: B20 token standard refers to a set of rules governing the issuance, transfer, and utility of tokens on the Base network, similar to how Ethereum’s ERC-20 standard works for creating fungible tokens.
Cobalt also introduces live validity transaction features and updates the process for network upgrades using dynamic, onchain validation, paving the way for more secure and transparent operation of Base nodes.
Future roadmap: Denim upgrade scheduled for October 2026
Looking ahead, the Base team has outlined further improvements with the Denim upgrade, planned for October 2026. This update will introduce native block times at 200ms intervals, along with BaseTime for onchain millisecond precision and millisecond-level resolution for RPC timestamps, enhancing both speed and accuracy for developers and end users.
Deposits and withdrawals for Base tokens will resume once the network upgrade is confirmed to be stable, without a separate announcement from Binance.
