GnosisDAO has approved a proposal to transition Gnosis Chain from a standalone layer-1 network into a zero-knowledge-proven Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ) rollup.
According to an announcement on X, proposal GIP-153 passed with 123,158 GNO in support, 115 votes against, and 151 abstentions across 54 voters. Turnout reached 123,425 GNO, surpassing the required 75,000 quorum.
Under the approved proposal, Gnosis Chain's validator set will be retired. The network will settle transactions directly on Ethereum, functioning as a layer-2 network that relies on Ethereum’s validators for settlement. An initial launch is targeted for late 2026 or early 2027, pending the readiness of the required EEZ technology.
The upgrade is designed to allow Gnosis Chain-native smart contracts to call Ethereum and utilize the results within the same transaction. This grants access to Ethereum mainnet assets and liquidity in an environment optimized for consumers, a feature the proposal states is currently unavailable on existing layer-2 networks.
Building the Ethereum Economic Zone
The EEZ framework was developed by Gnosis and ZisK with funding from the Ethereum Foundation. It is designed to unify Ethereum’s fragmented layer-2 ecosystem by allowing smart contracts across different rollups to execute synchronously without relying on bridges. The initiative addresses a major scaling trade-off in Ethereum, where multiple layer-2 networks currently separate liquidity, infrastructure, and user activity.
If implemented, Gnosis Chain will become the first deployed instance of the EEZ framework while retaining its existing applications, balances, and the xDAI gas token.
Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, noted in a May 28 report that the EEZ could decrease reliance on vulnerable infrastructure. He stated that the framework reduces the need for blockchain bridges—where hacks frequently occur—and increases asset usability across Ethereum Virtual Machine chains, potentially boosting activity within the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
