L2BEAT 💗

We started by bringing transparency to rollups, and we’re working to extend that clarity to every key component of the ecosystem’s tech stack. Now, we’re doing the same for interoperability. We’re thrilled to unveil L2BEAT Interop - your go-to resource for tracking how value actually moves across the ecosystem.

Huge congrats to our Head of Research @donnoh_eth, and everyone else on the list, on being named one of Ethereum's top security experts, well-deserved! 💗 An incredible initiative by @thedaofund to ensure the ecosystem’s most critical security work is being recognized. 🛡️

Important caveat: even at Stage 2, alt-DA systems carry a trust assumption, rollups don't. A Stage 2 Validium is not the same as a Stage 2 Rollup. But a well-built Stage 1 using alt-DA can offer better guarantees than a rollup still sitting at Stage 0. Full proposal 👇 forum.l2beat.com/t/alt-da-stage…

This is why we're proposing an Alt-DA Stages Framework, so Validiums and Optimiums can be evaluated on their own progression ladder instead of being forever lumped into "not a rollup, doesn't count." Same Stage 0/1/2 naming. Different requirements reflecting the DA tradeoff.

Can a Validium or Optimium be more secure than a rollup? Yes, if you meet them at different stages of their decentralisation journey. A Stage 1 alt-DA L2 can offer stronger security guarantees than a Stage 0 rollup. Here's why. 🧵

Full proposal is in our forum and open for feedback: forum.l2beat.com/t/alt-da-stage…

Quick poll: We just proposed a decentralization framework for alt-DA projects (validiums, optimiums). Should we call it "Stages" like we do for rollups, or give it its own name? Drop suggestions in the comments 👇

I have written a Medium post "Three flavors of institutional privacy: Prividium, Aztec, Canton" as an attempt to understand the current state of technology behind compliant privacy. It dives into these 3 different designs to compare them. Give it a read! @sergey.shemyakov/three-flavors-of-institutional-privacy-prividium-aztec-canton-a8f7d31fc63c" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">medium.com/@sergey.shemya…

The Ethereum Foundation’s new Mandate is the right document at the right time. The core argument is very simple: self-sovereignty only counts if it's real. The commitment to CROPS (the principles that made Ethereum credible in the first place and the same principles we prioritize in our assessments) does not define a specific roadmap, it defines the values of the foundation, a cultural North Star. Whatever direction Ethereum's development takes, these principles don't get traded away. We also value EF’s commitment to the "walkaway test" - striving to make itself less necessary over time so the protocol remains decentralized. We believe Ethereum’s strength lies in this shared commitment to an open, neutral, and resilient commons. And we’re proud to be fellow travelers in building this machinery of freedom!

The takeaway isn’t that Ethereum is moving away from L2s. The role of L2s is evolving. As the base layer scales, L2s can compete on customization, specialized environments, and new use cases, while still benefiting from Ethereum’s security.

One takeaway from this shift is that scaling Ethereum’s L1 and the L2 ecosystem are not necessarily competing strategies. Higher L1 throughput reduces the cost of data availability and settlement for rollups, improving their economics and UX. That said, interoperability and liquidity fragmentation across L2s remain important challenges for the ecosystem that we should keep on our radar.

Different bridge designs lead to very different transfer times. Explore more here 👇 l2beat.com/interop/summary

In some cases, bridges show two different transfer times. An example are the canonical bridges of the L2s that rely on fraud proofs. In → deposits into the destination chain Out → withdrawals back to the source chain Deposits can be processed quickly, but withdrawals must wait for the challenge period to pass before funds are finalized.

Which bridges are the fastest? Bridging speed varies widely across protocols and transfer designs. On the L2BEAT Interop page, we track average transfer times across bridges to see how long it actually takes for assets to move between chains. Let’s look at what the data shows 👇

@eigenfoundation @chainyoda Congrats @chainyoda 🙌 excited to see what's next for Eigencloud

Big news for the Eigen Foundation. @chainyoda (Ajit Tripathi) is joining as our new Executive Director. Crypto OG. Builder. Evangelist. He's been in our corner since the beginning. Now he's here to build and grow the Eigencloud network state. And a heartfelt thank you to @rjdrost, our founding ED, who transitions to Senior Advisor. Robert built the foundation of this Foundation. We're lucky he's not going anywhere. 🙏

@Scroll_ZKP Well deserved @razacodes! 👏

An important update: Raza, who has been leading growth at Scroll for the past 2 years, is being promoted to CEO of Up Labs (the operating entity behind Scroll). This is a recognition of the work he's already been doing and a natural next step as our priorities shift. Scroll's infrastructure is now mature. The focus now shifts towards distribution, adoption, and getting Scroll into more hands, and that calls for a tighter, more execution-focused org. Haichen, the CTO of Up Labs, is joining Sandy at the Scroll Foundation to lead Scroll's technical vision. Sandy has been the director of the Foundation for the past 2 years, and continues in her role as she always has. They will both continue to actively operate in the ecosystem and work closely with the Up Labs team to guide execution. The mission for Scroll stays the same, the only thing that is changing is how we're structured internally to execute on it. Scroll's next chapter will focus on building products that reach real users, and this structure puts us in the best position to do that. Onward.

GM to our builders, and especially to our newest speaker! @sergeyshemyakov comes straight out of @l2beat, and we couldn’t be more excited to hear him on one of our beautiful stages. This May at ETHPrague ☀️ 🎟️ Get tickets in bio