Coinbase Wallet to Launch “Tap to Pay” Feature with ETH L-2 Innovation
Mustafa Mulla14 Nov 20242 min read
Coinbase Wallet is gearing up to launch its “Tap to Pay” feature, aiming to make crypto transactions as simple as tapping a phone, much like popular digital payment apps Venmo, Cash App, and PayPal. Jesse Pollak, head of Base and Coinbase Wallet, has confirmed that “Tap to Pay” is already in “internal alpha” testing, with a full rollout expected “very soon.”
To speed up this development, Coinbase has acquired the Utopia Labs team, which will help accelerate the rollout of on-chain payment capabilities within Coinbase Wallet.
Bringing Crypto Payments to Users
Jesse Pollak, who also developed the Ethereum Layer-2 (L2) network Base, shared that “Tap to Pay” is designed to make crypto payments easier and more accessible, especially for merchants who currently use apps like Venmo or PayPal.
Coinbase Wallet’s goal is to make crypto payments fast and intuitive, aiming for availability in 50 countries by the end of 2025. This expansion would give users access to various crypto financial services, including the option to connect bank accounts for smoother transactions.
Making Payments Easier and Cheaper
Pollak believes “Tap to Pay” will encourage more people to manage their finances directly on-chain by providing advantages like lower fees and faster transaction speeds.
Additionally, Coinbase Wallet plans to add off-ramps that let users receive payments in stablecoins like USD Coin (USDC) or Tether (USDT), which can be converted into local currencies with ease.
Solving Ethereum’s Layer-2 Interoperability Challenges
Coinbase Wallet is also tackling a major challenge in the Ethereum ecosystem: Layer-2 network interoperability.
Currently, networks like Arbitrum and Optimism don’t easily work together, which complicates cross-chain transactions.
To address this, Coinbase is working on two standards—ERC-7683 and RIP-7755—to streamline transactions across different Ethereum Layer-2 networks, making it easier for users to move tokens across platforms and improving decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.
Coinbase Acquired Utopia Labs
Jesse Pollak shared in a blog post that the Utopia team has been working on on-chain payment products for years. He’s excited for Utopia Labs to join Coinbase to help bring fast, low-cost, and global payments to everyone.
The Utopia Labs team announced on their website that they will be joining Coinbase, with Utopia’s current products set to shut down. They expressed enthusiasm for joining Coinbase to work toward their shared vision of advancing on-chain payments.
As Coinbase Wallet continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible, the future of digital finance looks increasingly bright.
