Base–Solana Bridge Launch Sparks Tensions Over Coordination and Strategy

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. BitPinas has no commercial relationship with any mentioned entity unless otherwise stated.

📬 Get the biggest crypto stories in the Philippines and Southeast Asia every week — subscribe to the BitPinas Newsletter.

A new bridge linking Base, a layer-two network for the Ethereum blockchain, and Solana, a major layer-one blockchain, is now live on mainnet. The bridge allows users to move SOL and other tokens under the Solana Program Library (SPL) standard into Base-based decentralized applications.

However, the launch immediately sparked a public dispute between Base leadership and members of the Solana ecosystem over coordination, communication, and the strategic intent behind releasing the bridge.

Base-Solana Bridge

The bridge, secured by Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), is positioned as a two-way connection between the networks.

Chainlink noted that the launch expands access to Solana-based assets for developers and users on Coinbase-incubated Base, with early adopters including Zora, Aerodrome, Virtuals, Flaunch, and Relay.

Advertisement

The bridge’s codebase is open source on GitHub, allowing teams to add Solana support directly to their applications.

“We built a bridge from Base to Solana because we think the global economy should be connected and that Base is for everyone.”

Jesse Pollak, Creator, Base

The rollout has drawn scrutiny within developer and cross-chain communities.

Vibhu Norby

Questions center on the governance and security model behind CCIP-secured bridges and the level of trust required for cross-chain operations. Critics also raised concerns about dependence on a single interoperability provider, while supporters argue that the CCIP framework offers higher reliability than existing multichain designs.

In addition, Solana Foundation Head of Product Marketing Vibhu Norby reported that the Solana-to-Base contract had recorded 58 transactions as of December 5, 2025, prompting questions about early usage.

Norby also criticized the launch for lacking formal coordination with the Solana Foundation or key ecosystem partners.

“You didn’t set up a single Solana partner for launch, didn’t talk to Solana foundation marketing or ops, just dropped a repo.”

Vibhu Norby, Head of Product Marketing, Solana Foundation

Pollak rejected that characterization, stating that Base spent nine months developing the bridge, announced it publicly months earlier, and attempted multiple times to engage with Solana ecosystem teams. He acknowledged a “communication breakdown” with the Solana Foundation and said Base is working to resolve it.

“We built this as a two-way bridge. The whole point is to unlock movement both ways because we are hearing from Solana teams they want access to Base and from Base teams they want access to Solana. We want to make that possible. I am digging in with Vibhu to understand where we missed on the Solana Foundation collaboration, and I am optimistic we can work better together to make this great.”

Jesse Pollak, Creator, Base

Solana Foundation Chief Marketing Officer Akshay BD responded that the concern was not competition but what he described as unclear messaging and the absence of a direct commercial conversation before launch. He said the foundation had not been contacted and invited Base to open formal discussions.

“[To be honest], we’d respect a competitor who speaks plainly and honestly since it lays the foundation for a one-off collaboration like this one… where both ecosystems can benefit. Folks over at Coinbase are exemplary professionals… and have made great progress together. I’m sure we can do the same with base. We just haven’t heard from anyone yet—so feel free to dm us if we can help.”

Akshay BD, Chief Marketing Officer, Solana Foundation

Pollak replied that communication with Norby had continued for “18 hours” and that Base intended to improve coordination.

Solana Labs Co-Founder Anatoly Yakovenko later weighed in, criticizing what he viewed as “alignment” narratives across Ethereum-linked projects and calling for more direct framing of competitive dynamics.

Pollak responded by questioning why the discussion shifted to Ethereum, stressing that Base built a bridge to Solana to expand access for developers on both networks. Yakovenko countered that the bridge would only be meaningful for Solana if Base applications moved execution to Solana validators.

“Competition is a net positive for everyone in the long term.”

Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder, Solana Labs 

Despite the debates, Base and Chainlink said the bridge is intended to establish a more standardized approach to cross-chain connectivity. Solana is the first network connected under this framework, with more chains expected to follow.

This article is published on BitPinas: Base–Solana Bridge Launch Sparks Tensions Over Coordination and Strategy

What else is happening in Crypto Philippines and beyond?