Base Launches Cobalt, Bringing Conditional Transactions to Mainnet

By Kevin · 2026-10-01 · News

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 1 (CandyPulse) — Base, the Ethereum Layer 2 network incubated by Coinbase, has switched on its third major mainnet upgrade, Cobalt. The headline feature is conditional transactions: trades that only go through if specific conditions are met.

Key takeaways

Cobalt adds Validity Transactions, which execute only if set conditions are met
If conditions aren't met, the transaction never lands on-chain
The upgrade expands the B20 token standard with new controls for asset issuers
Base plans 200-millisecond blocks and native smart accounts next

What conditional transactions do

Normally, when you send a transaction, it goes through regardless of what's happened in the meantime, even if prices have moved against you.

With Cobalt's Validity Transactions, users can attach conditions. For example, a trader could submit a swap that only becomes valid if a pool's price reaches a particular level before a certain block. If that never happens, the transaction simply never gets included. No failed transaction, no wasted fees.

Base says the system is neutral infrastructure, and that it lets advanced traders keep their orders private until execution, making it harder for others to see and trade ahead of them.

New tools for tokenized assets

Cobalt also upgrades B20, Base's standard for issuing assets such as tokenized securities or stablecoins:

Composite Policies let issuers combine allowlists and blocklists with simple "AND" and "OR" logic, instead of duplicating lists or syncing them off-chain.
A Schedule Multiplier feature, aligned with the ERC-8056 standard, adds more flexible ways to manage how assets behave over time.

These are the kinds of controls regulated issuers need before putting real-world assets on a public blockchain.

Why it matters

Conditional execution is a familiar idea in traditional markets, where limit orders and stop orders are standard. Bringing something similar natively to a blockchain makes on-chain trading feel more like a professional exchange, and could reduce costly failed transactions.

The B20 upgrades show Base positioning itself as a home for tokenized finance, not just retail apps and memecoins.

What's next

Base says it plans to cut block times to 200 milliseconds and launch native smart accounts in the coming months, which would make apps on the network faster and wallets easier to use.

This article is for information only and is not financial advice.