GnosisDAO members approved proposal GIP-153 in August 2026. It would retire Gnosis Chain as a standalone layer-1 network and rebuild it as a zero-knowledge-proven rollup that settles on Ethereum, using a design called the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ). The vote is a governance decision. The rollup is not live.
Who Benefits and How
Ordinary Gnosis users shouldn’t have to do anything for now: Cointelegraph reports that applications, balances and xDAI as gas stay in place. The hoped-for gain is fewer bridge steps when moving between Gnosis and Ethereum, but that is a design goal and nothing has shipped. Validators are the ones who lose out, since their set would be retired and treasury-funded staking rewards would end.
What was approved
Cointelegraph, in a report dated August 20, 2026, gives these results: 123,158 GNO voted for, 115 against and 151 abstained, from 54 voters. Turnout was 123,425 GNO against a 75,000 GNO quorum. The Defiant reported the approval on August 19, and says about 350,000 GNO would be unlocked. Gnosis and ZisK developed the EEZ framework with funding from the Ethereum Foundation.
What the design promises
The EEZ aims for “synchronous composability.” A contract on the rollup could call a contract on Ethereum and use the result in the same transaction, which would either fully succeed or fully revert, with no bridge step. Standard Chartered’s Geoffrey Kendrick said the design would reduce reliance on bridges, where hacks tend to occur. Vitalik Buterin wrote in a February 3 post on X that “the original vision of L2s and their role in Ethereum no longer makes sense, and we need a new path.” For the first mainnet test of this approach, see our report on the atomic L1-to-L2 call.
The limits are real. Fifty-four voters and about 123,000 GNO is small in absolute terms, though it cleared the quorum. Initial launch is targeted for “late 2026 or early 2027, subject to the EEZ technology being ready” (Cointelegraph). Crypto.news reports the first Gnosis deployment is expected to support atomic L2-to-L1 calls only, with a centralized composer and an interim proving setup, and the EEZ software has not been audited. Whether the design delivers the promised security and liquidity benefits is untested at scale.
Two quick questions
Do I need to move my funds?
Cointelegraph reports that applications, balances and xDAI as gas stay in place. Watch Gnosis’s official channels for migration notices. The target launch is late 2026 or early 2027, if the technology is ready.
Is this investment advice?
No. It reports a governance vote and a technical plan.
Sources
- Cointelegraph: GnosisDAO Approves Gnosis Chain for Ethereum Economic Zone (Aug 20, 2026)
- The Defiant: Gnosis Chain to Abandon Its Validator Set and Settle to Ethereum (Aug 19, 2026)
- crypto.news: Ethereum Could Make Moving Between L1 and L2 Easier (Oct 6, 2026)