Coinbase Payments Joins Open Intents Framework as Core Contributor for Ethereum Cross-Chain Standards

Coinbase Payments has joined the Open Intents Framework as a core contributor, marking a significant step toward standardizing cross-chain asset movement within the Ethereum ecosystem.

The collaboration brings together major industry players, including the Ethereum Foundation, Hyperlane, Across Protocol, OpenZeppelin, and LI.FI Protocol and DeFi Wonderland to build open standards for permissionless, secure cross-chain transactions.

Addressing Critical Cross-Chain Security Challenges

The Open Intents Framework addresses growing fragmentation in Ethereum’s multichain ecosystem, where users access DeFi protocols on Arbitrum, social networks on Base, and AI agents on Mode.

Current cross-chain transfers require lengthy business development processes and complex infrastructure management.

The framework provides modular, open-source tooling that enables lightweight bridging across chains while maintaining security standards.

Cross-chain crime has surged to over $21 billion in 2025, representing a threefold increase from $7 billion in 2023, according to Elliptic research.

Criminals increasingly use decentralized exchanges, cross-chain bridges, and token swap services to obscure fund origins.

Chain-hopping tactics now appear in 33% of crypto crime investigations spanning more than three blockchains.

The framework builds on Vitalik Buterin’s 2024 vision for seamless cross-chain interoperability through Ethereum Improvement Proposals, including EIP-3370 for address standards, EIP-7683 for communication protocols, and EIP-3668 for off-chain data access.

Ethereum Foundation researchers identified interoperability as the top near-term priority for development in the next six to twelve months.

The ongoing initiative launches with production-ready ERC-7683 implementation, an open-source TypeScript solver application, composable smart contracts, and customizable UI templates.

Audits were expected to be completed during Q1 2025, with cross-chain validation anticipated in Q4.

Understanding the Open Intents Framework Mechanics

The Open Intents Framework simplifies cross-chain transactions by allowing users to state what they want rather than how to achieve it.

According to the documentation, instead of manually moving tokens between different blockchain networks, users submit their desired outcome (such as swapping 100 USDC on Base for 100 USDT on Arbitrum), and the system handles the complex execution.

Specialized services called solvers compete to fulfill these user requests by finding the most efficient routes across blockchain networks.

These solvers automatically handle the technical challenges, including transaction settlements, risk management, and coordinating asset movements between different chains while users wait for their desired result.

The framework uses standardized smart contracts based on ERC-7683 protocols to ensure consistent operation across different blockchain networks.

Multiple verification methods, including Hyperlane’s security modules and storage proof systems, maintain transaction security without creating single points of failure.

New standards enable seamless user experiences, including unified addresses across chains. These consolidated token balances treat the same asset on different networks as one balance, and neutral messaging systems that work with any bridge or verification system.

The framework operates through three development phases focusing on setup, speed optimization, and final improvements.

Major ecosystem partners, like Arbitrum, Uniswap, and Superbridge, are integrating the framework into their existing services.

Ethereum’s Evolution Toward Cross-Chain Interoperability

Ethereum’s transition to a multichain ecosystem began with layer-2 scaling solutions addressing network congestion and high transaction costs.

Users now access blue-chip DeFi protocols on Arbitrum, experiment with decentralized social networks on Base, and test AI agents on Mode, while tech giants like Sony build L2s on the OP Stack.

Vitalik Buterin outlined his vision for seamless cross-chain interoperability in August 2024, emphasizing community collaboration to resolve cross-L2 compatibility challenges.

His roadmap introduced key Ethereum Improvement Proposals, including EIP-3370 for chain-specific address standards with human-readable prefixes and EIP-3668 for standardized off-chain data access.

Buterin has already been discussing “cross-L2-replayable account state updates” from his 2023 blog post, allowing L2 networks to receive recent layer-1 state updates while maintaining security and low latency.

He anticipated that all rollups would eventually adopt zero-knowledge technology for transaction finalization, though the transition would require more than five years.

Ethereum Foundation researchers elevated interoperability as the top near-term priority in August, identifying it as “the highest leverage opportunity” within user experience development for the next six to twelve months.

The strategy focuses on intent-based architecture and general message-passing to allow users to express outcomes while networks handle low-level transactions.

Current message-passing remains bottlenecked by slow settlement times, creating fragmentation pressures across the ecosystem.

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