GnosisDAO Approves Shift From Standalone Chain to Ethereum Rollup

GnosisDAO has approved a plan to convert Gnosis Chain from an independent layer-1 network into a ZK-proven Ethereum Economic Zone rollup. The proposal passed with over 123,000 GNO in favor, easily clearing quorum, with only a small number of votes against or abstaining.

What the Change Means

Under the plan, Gnosis Chain will retire its own validator set and instead settle transactions directly through Ethereum, effectively becoming a layer-2 network. This would let Gnosis Chain smart contracts interact directly with Ethereum in the same transaction, giving it access to mainnet liquidity in a way current L2s don’t support. Launch is targeted for late 2026 or early 2027.

First Deployment of the EEZ Framework

Developed by Gnosis and ZisK with Ethereum Foundation backing, the Ethereum Economic Zone framework aims to unify Ethereum’s fragmented rollup ecosystem by letting contracts across different networks execute together without bridges. Gnosis Chain will be its first live deployment while keeping its existing apps and xDAI gas token.

Standard Chartered’s Geoffrey Kendrick said the EEZ model could cut reliance on bridges, a frequent hacking target, while boosting activity and composability across Ethereum’s ecosystem.