Prediction-market protocol Trueo plans to migrate from Coinbase-incubated Base to Ethereum mainnet, drawing public praise from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin as the project seeks deeper liquidity and a more decentralized foundation for its oracle and markets.Trueo announced the move on September 21, saying Base had been the appropriate network when the protocol launched in March 2025 because Ethereum transaction costs were higher and parts of its product remained experimental. The team now argues that conditions have changed sufficiently to make Ethereum Layer 1 more attractive.Trueo cited Ethereum’s network effects, available liquidity, integration opportunities and long-term infrastructure as reasons for migrating. Co-founder Lumberg described Ethereum as the strongest environment for building a “credibly neutral and truthful” oracle and prediction-market system.
Buterin Welcomes Another Prediction Market on Ethereum
The announcement quickly attracted Buterin‘s attention.Buterin welcomed Trueo as a new Ethereum L1 prediction-market competitor, highlighting its stated focus on decentralization, ethical design and applications of prediction markets beyond conventional speculative products.The endorsement is notable because Buterin has previously criticized the direction taken by parts of the prediction-market industry. Earlier this year, he argued that excessive concentration on short-duration crypto wagers and sports betting represented an “unhealthy product market fit,” while pointing toward hedging, governance and real-world risk management as potentially more meaningful applications.His latest comments do not indicate an investment, grant, Ethereum Foundation partnership or other formal relationship with Trueo.Trueo remains a relatively small competitor. DefiLlama data cited on September 22 put its total value locked at roughly $796,000, ranking it around 14th among tracked onchain prediction markets. Its current tracked TVL remains entirely on Base.
Existing Base Markets Will Continue Operating
The migration will not immediately shut down Trueo’s Base deployment. Trading, settlement and redemptions for existing markets will continue during the transition. Trueo has advised users against creating new Base markets with expiration dates after January 31, 2027, instead recommending that longer-dated markets wait for the Ethereum deployment.The protocol’s TRUE token will also migrate to Ethereum, with holders given an open-ended migration window. Future staking programs and liquidity incentives are expected to operate on mainnet.Trueo says one of its priorities following the move will be attracting liquidity and developing the next generation of its oracle infrastructure — the mechanism responsible for determining the real-world outcomes used to settle prediction contracts.The project attempts to differentiate itself through a decentralized resolution model and yield-bearing collateral. Users deposit USDC to mint TYD, its yield-bearing dollar token, allowing capital committed to prediction positions to continue generating yield rather than remaining idle.For Ethereum, Trueo’s decision provides a small but symbolically notable reversal of the industry’s long-running migration toward cheaper Layer 2 networks.Base originally offered Trueo lower transaction costs and an environment suitable for experimentation. Trueo now argues that Ethereum mainnet’s broader liquidity, integrations and neutrality outweigh that advantage as the protocol attempts to scale.The migration has not yet been completed: Trueo’s publicly documented contracts and tracked TVL remained on Base as of September 22. The announcement therefore represents a strategic commitment to Ethereum rather than an already completed transfer of the protocol.