Coinbase’s layer-2 community, Base, has denied allegations of promoting its Ethereum (ETH) holdings.
Over the weekend, crypto group members identified that Base has funneled sequencer charges to Coinbase, sparking considerations about transparency and potential ETH gross sales.
Nevertheless, Base strategist Kabir Sadarangani refuted these claims, asserting that the accusations of an absence of transparency and potential ETH gross sales had been unfounded.
The allegations
On Feb. 8, Santisa, the CIO of funding agency Lucidity Cap, raised the alarm that Base has been sending all sequencer charges to Coinbase since its launch.
He added:
“We don’t know in the event that they offered, however we do know they didn’t deploy these funds on Base or hold them on-chain. The shortage of transparency makes it truthful to imagine they offered. Not very Ethereum-aligned of them.”
Additional evaluation by Sonic The Assistant identified that the community’s sequencer operations generate practically a 90% revenue margin—over $100 million—and all associated ETH was despatched from Base to Ethereum after which to Coinbase.
Coinbase’s monetary experiences had been puzzling, additional including to the hypothesis. The Assistant famous that earlier than Base’s launch, Coinbase held roughly 118,924 ETH ($230 million at $1,934 per ETH) as of June 30, 2023. By This autumn 2024, this determine had solely barely elevated to 119,696 ETH, which means Coinbase added simply 772 ETH ($2 million at present costs) throughout Base’s operational interval.
The Assistant additionally highlighted a latest transaction the place 240.35 ETH ($618,960) was moved off-chain to Coinbase. This prompted questions concerning the whereabouts of the remaining $100 million in sequencer-generated ETH.
In the meantime, Andre Cronje, the co-founder of Sonic Labs (previously Fantom), additionally criticized Base’s strategy. He questioned whether or not the platform operates as a centralized company blockchain beneath Coinbase or as a very Ethereum-aligned layer-2 community.
Cronje additional challenged the crew’s resolution to maintain charges off-chain somewhat than sustaining them transparently on Ethereum.
Coinbase handle considerations
In response, Sadarangani defended Base’s monetary practices, stating that its earnings are reinvested in Ethereum’s ecosystem somewhat than liquidated.
He identified that Coinbase and Base collectively maintain over 100,000 ETH, making them the most important public firm holders of ETH and surpassing any layer-2 DAO or growth entity.
Addressing considerations about transparency, he defined that Base makes use of off-chain custody on Coinbase for safety and auditing functions.
He furthered that the ETH generated is used for operations and grants somewhat than liquidation. Base goals to transition extra prices to be coated in ETH whereas rising on-chain exercise.
Sadarangani mentioned:
“We earn and spend as a lot as we are able to in ETH. We spend ETH on L1 prices, we denominate all of our exterior grants in ETH, our aim is to proceed to maneuver extra of Base’s prices to operate in ETH, and we’re working arduous to maneuver extra of our operations onchain.
He additionally clarified that any ETH transformed to USD is minimal in comparison with its total holdings and the broader Ethereum market. In line with him, Base stays dedicated to long-term ecosystem development somewhat than short-term monetary positive aspects.
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