Gnosis Chain Transitions to Ethereum Economic Zone Rollup

GnosisDAO has approved a major upgrade for Gnosis Chain, transitioning it from a standalone layer-1 to an Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ) rollup aligned with Ethereum. The decision aims to move transaction settlement to Ethereum while preserving its smart contracts in an environment designed to improve interaction with Ethereum-native liquidity and assets.

The proposal, known as GIP-153, cleared the 75,000 GNO quorum with a turnout of 123,425 GNO in support, signaling broad governance support. Under the new setup, Gnosis Chain's validator set would be retired, shifting settlement responsibility to Ethereum validators.

The EEZ concept is designed to reduce fragmentation across Ethereum's growing rollup landscape by moving settlement closer to Ethereum's security model and reducing bridge dependence. This should enable more direct execution pathways for cross-network smart contract interactions.

Gnosis Chain now targets an initial launch in late 2026 or early 2027, contingent on the EEZ technology being ready. The rollout will preserve existing applications, balances, and xDAI gas token, ensuring continuity for users and developers.