Ethereum Proposes Tokenized Transaction Fees Without ETH

A proposal to allow Ethereum users to pay transaction fees in tokens other than ETH has been quietly advancing over the last few months, according to Vitalik Buterin.

The EIP-8141 proposal separates the approval of payment from the actual transaction, allowing for more flexibility and innovation in how transactions are processed.

This is made possible by the ERC-4337 protocol, which has been available since 2023. However, the new Frames system would allow this to be done directly on the Ethereum network, without the need for third-party middlemen or separate mempools.

The proposal also addresses the issue of quantum computers potentially breaking the elliptic curve cryptography currently used by Ethereum for authentication. The authors describe the Frames as a 'native exit ramp' from this technology.