Binance has confirmed it will support the upcoming Cobalt upgrade and hard fork on the Base network, scheduled for September 30, 2026. Base, an Ethereum layer-2 network developed by Coinbase, is set to implement the technical changes around 18:00 UTC that day.

To prepare for the transition, Binance will suspend deposits and withdrawals of tokens on the Base network starting at 17:00 UTC on September 30, 2026, roughly one hour before the upgrade begins. Trading of the affected tokens on the exchange will continue without interruption. Binance stated it will handle all technical requirements internally, so users do not need to take any action related to the upgrade.

Details of the Cobalt Upgrade

The Cobalt upgrade is intended to strengthen Base’s underlying technology and expand capabilities for developers and users. It introduces several improvements to the B20 token standard. These include the ability to pay transaction fees using B20 tokens, support for scheduled multiplier updates, simplification of blocked transfer structures, and the addition of Union and Intersect policies.

The upgrade also adds a new transaction type known as validity transactions. Base network nodes will gain the ability to receive dynamic upgrades directly from an Ethereum smart contract, allowing them to access live upgrade information onchain and reducing maintenance delays.

A major technical shift involves the registration of Trusted Execution Environment signers. Cobalt moves this process fully onchain through attestation verification. AWS Nitro attestations will be validated within the Base network using checked P-384 hints. This replaces the prior approach that relied on RISC Zero and Boundless proving flows.

Timeline and Operational Impact

Network upgrades and hard forks are standard procedures used to update blockchain infrastructure, add features, or revise protocol rules. Binance indicated the process is expected to proceed smoothly.

Upcoming Denim Upgrade

Following Cobalt, the Base team has scheduled the Denim upgrade for October 2026. That update is planned to introduce native block times of 200 milliseconds, BaseTime for onchain millisecond precision, and millisecond-level resolution for RPC timestamps. These changes aim to improve speed and accuracy for developers and users.

The Cobalt upgrade represents a step toward more flexible token operations, stronger onchain verification processes, and reduced reliance on external systems for critical network functions.