Base Azul multiproofs, ERC-8211 smart batching, LI.FI Intents, Vitalik's Sci-Fi pivot

Welcome to our weekly digest, where we unpack the latest in account and chain abstraction and the broader infrastructure shaping Ethereum. This week: Base ships its first independent upgrade with a TEE+ZK multiproof system and confirms native AA is next; Biconomy turns the ERC-8211 smart batching standard into a TypeScript SDK; LI.FI launches an enterprise intents engine for stablecoin and RWA flows; and Vitalik steps back from technical essays to write fiction. Base Launches Azul, Bringing Multiproofs to Coinbase's L2 Biconomy Ships Smart Batching SDK for ERC-8211 LI.FI Launches Intents Engine for Enterprise Cross-Chain Flows Vitalik Pivots to Fiction and Floats a "Trust Dependency" Framework Please fasten your belts! Base Launches Azul, Bringing Multiproofs to Coinbase’s L2 Base activated Azul on mainnet on May 28, its first network upgrade built entirely on its own stack. The headline feature is a multiproof system that pairs Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) proofs with Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs, advancing the Coinbase-incubated L2 toward Stage 2 decentralization. Either proof type can finalize a withdrawal independently, but when both agree, finality drops to as little as one day, far faster than the typical multi-day optimistic rollup wait. Crucially, permissionless ZK proofs can override permissioned TEE proofs if the two conflict, a design Base says meaningfully improves censorship resistance. The upgrade also makes base reth the sole execution client and introduces a new consensus client, phasing out older software. Node operators must migrate to the new stack to stay in sync. For AA and chain abstraction builders, the more important signal is what comes next: Base confirmed its end-of-June upgrade will include native account abstraction, an enshrined token standard and Flashblock Access Lists. The largest L2 by activity moving toward native AA is a meaningful pull on the whole ecosystem. Biconomy Ships Smart Batching SDK for ERC-8211 Biconomy released t