GnosisDAO participants approved a proposal to transition the Gnosis Chain from a Layer 1 autonomous network to the Ethereum Economic Zone rollup, with transaction confirmation using ZK proofs. The initiative, known as GIP‑153, was supported by holders of 123,158 GNO tokens, while 115 voted against it and 151 abstained. Fifty‑four people participated in the voting, and the total turnout amounted to 123,425 tokens, which exceeded the required quorum of 75,000.

According to the approved proposal, the set of Gnosis Chain validators will be abolished, and the network will begin to process transactions directly on Ethereum. Thus, Gnosis Chain will become a layer‑two solution that relies on validators of the base network to process transactions. The initial launch is scheduled for the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, provided that the necessary technology is ready. The update will enable native smart contracts to call Ethereum and use the result in the same transaction, gaining access to assets and liquidity on the mainnet in a user‑friendly environment.

Gnosis Chain will become the first launched implementation of the EEZ framework, developed by Gnosis and ZisK with financial support from the Ethereum Foundation. The initiative aims to unify the fragmented ecosystem of layer‑2 solutions: smart contracts across different rollups will be able to perform operations synchronously without the use of bridges. This should eliminate one of the main trade‑offs of scaling, since dozens of networks increase throughput but distribute liquidity and user activity across individual blockchains. At the same time, Gnosis Chain will preserve existing applications, balances, and the xDAI gas token.

Ethereum co‑founder Vitalik Buterin previously expressed concern about centralized sequencers and bridge trust mechanisms, calling them potentially vulnerable elements of the architecture. According to the L2Beat platform, twenty‑two Ethereum rollups ensure the security of twenty‑seven billion eight hundred twenty million dollars, and, taking into account other scaling networks, the total tracked value reaches thirty‑four billion eight hundred eighty million dollars.

Jeffrey Kendrick, global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, noted that EEZ could reduce dependence on blockchain bridges, where hacks often occur, and increase the utility of assets. According to him, the framework will increase composability by allowing smart contracts in different participating networks to interact within a single transaction, which will ultimately lead to increased activity across the entire Ethereum ecosystem.