In a latest proposal, outstanding Ethereum builders, together with Vitalik Buterin, Sam Wilson, Ansgar Dietrichs, and Matt Garnett, recommended a brand new transaction sort to reinforce Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs).
The proposal, at present in draft standing, outlines the creation of a brand new transaction sort that briefly converts EOAs into good contract wallets throughout transaction execution, providing functionalities much like these outlined in EIP-3074.
In accordance with the draft proposal, EIP-7702 would enable for transaction batching and sponsored transactions paid for by one other account. The proposed transaction sort would come with a contract_code discipline and a signature, enabling EOAs to undertake good contract functionalities briefly.
The core intention is to supply enhanced usability and safety for EOAs, addressing frequent points like batching transactions, sponsorship of transactions, and privilege de-escalation.
The usual would additionally enable for de-escalated privileges by enabling customers to signal subkeys with restricted permissions. For instance, a pockets administrator might enable subkey holders to spend solely ERC-20 tokens, use solely a part of a pockets stability, or entry choose purposes.
Various to EIP-3074
The draft proposal supplies a substitute for EIP-3074, an present normal that gives most of the similar capabilities.
Nonetheless, EIP-7702 goals to deal with forward-compatibility points. In contrast to EIP-3074, it doesn’t introduce opcodes, which might supposedly turn into out of date in an “endgame account abstraction” the place all customers use good contract wallets.
Buterin and co-proposers consider endgame account abstraction is probably going when quantum computing breaks the cryptography utilized in normal Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) or normal user-controlled Ethereum wallets.
EIP-3074 might additionally create an invoker contract ecosystem separate from the good contract pockets ecosystem. With EIP-7702, the proposers intention to keep away from a division of efforts.
Regardless of its potential advantages, Buterin famous that EIP-7702 would possibly face related criticism as its counterpart, because it requires belief in code and will result in centralization. He believes that any proposal to deal with privilege de-escalation faces the identical problem.
Ongoing developments
EIP-7702 is at present within the draft stage, and its future is unclear.
Nonetheless, builders intend to incorporate EIP-3074 in Ethereum’s subsequent improve, Pectra, in late 2024 or early 2025.
One other associated normal, ERC-4337, supplies account abstraction options with related purposes, together with group-access wallets and bundled and sponsored transactions. Builders deployed the usual to Ethereum in March 2023.
Collectively, such requirements enable companies to manage consumer wallets with out sustaining direct custody of consumer funds, offering a key various to completely centralized companies.
