A closer look at how Trust Wallet uses Ethereum’s EIP-7702 latest standard to reimagine what EOAs can do, without giving up control.
As Web3 expands beyond its early niche, user expectations are shifting. What was once tolerable for technically inclined early adopters — slow interfaces, complicated processes, and cumbersome workflows — is now unacceptable to a broader audience. Today, wallet usability isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s central to whether Web3 can reach the next wave of users.
However, some long-standing issues still prevent a truly user-friendly crypto experience, and gas fees are at the top of that list. Data shows how costly this friction has become, with users paying over $6.9 billion in transaction fees in 2024 alone. Beyond estimating how much to pay, figuring out which token to use and whether there’s enough balance turns even basic actions into obstacles.
A clearer path emerged with Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s EIP-7702 proposal. It allows externally owned accounts (EOAs) — the most common type of wallet — to temporarily function like smart contract wallets without requiring contract deployment or account changes.
Building on this advancement, Trust Wallet — a self-custody wallet with over 200 million users — is among the first to bring EIP-7702 to life. Rather than layering on a cosmetic feature, it’s starting at the infrastructure level to reshape how users interact with crypto.
Redefining Self-Custody with EIP-7702
Trust Wallet introduces a smart wallet architecture that brings account abstraction (AA) to standard EOAs, enabling programmable behavior, improved UX, and more flexible transaction logic.
At the heart of this transformation is a modular engine that powers features such as:
- Gas fee flexibility: Users are no longer limited to native tokens. With support for assets like USDT and TWT, fees can be paid using tokens already in the wallet.
- One-tap smart transactions: Instead of approving and signing multiple steps, users can bundle operations, such as approve, swap, and execute, into a single transaction.
- Sponsored transactions: To onboard new users, decentralized applications (DApps) and partners can cover gas costs, eliminating the need for pre-fund wallets.
- Automated execution: Features like recurring payments, dollar-cost averaging (DCA), and session keys are now possible without deploying separate contracts.
By embedding these capabilities into its infrastructure, Trust Wallet lays the foundation for a self-custodial experience where abstraction, control, and intelligence work together by design. Crucially, users retain full custody and privacy, with no changes to seed phrases or the need to upgrade to smart contract wallets.
Inside Trust Wallet’s Smart Wallet Engine
Instead of relying on third-party abstractions, Trust Wallet has developed its infrastructure in-house. The system consists of four core components, each serving a distinct role in enabling token-based gas payments at scale.
Paymaster: Token-Based Gas Payments
Paymaster lets users pay transaction fees using tokens like USDT or TWT instead of native assets like ETH or BNB. This is particularly useful in mobile-first or beginner contexts, where users may not hold native tokens. By removing the need for swaps or bridging, Paymaster simplifies transactions and reduces the risk of failure. It works directly with smart contracts to validate and settle fees.
Bundler: Compressing Complexity into One Tap
Many DeFi actions, such as staking, lending, or swapping, require multiple steps. Bundler combines these into a single atomic action. For users, that means fewer taps; for developers, it means more consistent execution. It relies on temporary contract logic via EIP-7702, allowing the wallet to interpret a single signed intent and execute it end-to-end.
Relayer: Seamless Submission Across Chains
After a user signs a transaction, Relayer handles submission and finalization. It bridges the wallet interface and the blockchain, handling broadcast, confirmation, and gas estimation — especially across networks like Ethereum, BNB Chain, Arbitrum, and Base. The result is a smoother experience where users think about actions, not infrastructure.
Gas Provisioner: Real-Time Resource Coordination
Gas Provisioner oversees token balances, calculates fees, and chooses the right asset for gas payments, functioning in real time. If Paymaster is the logic layer, the Provisioner is the logistics system that ensures transactions execute smoothly and reliably.
This architecture enables Trust Wallet to scale across tokens, networks, and transaction types, offering features like pre-funded transactions and gasless onboarding. It lays the groundwork for transforming wallets into smart, user-friendly agents, all within a secure, self-custodial framework.
What’s Next: From Infrastructure to Experience
With the infrastructure live, the first application of this new smart wallet architecture is on the horizon. Internally called FlexGas, the feature will allow users to pay gas fees using tokens they already hold, such as TWT, USDT, or BNB, starting with support on Ethereum and BNB Chain. There is no need to swap tokens or maintain separate balances in native gas assets.
Beyond FlexGas, the same architecture also enables broader use cases that are already in development:
- Gasless onboarding: DApps and partners can sponsor new users’ transactions, removing the need to pre-fund wallets with gas.
- Automated execution: From recurring subscriptions to dollar-cost averaging strategies, users can authorize workflows that run on their behalf, securely and onchain.
- Smart transactions: Developers and institutions will gain access to programmable wallets with granular control, session delegation, and smart policy enforcement.
As these capabilities mature, wallets will evolve from static key managers into responsive agents that interpret intent, automate actions, and adapt to network conditions, all while maintaining complete user control.
With EIP-7702, that evolution has already begun. The architecture is in place. With FlexGas on the way, Trust Wallet is opening a new chapter in crypto usability — where wallets do more and users worry less.
If widely adopted, this model could mark a turning point in self-custody: not just making it more usable, but finally aligning it with the demands of a maturing, multi-chain ecosystem. And in that future, self-custody won’t just be safer — it will be smarter.
Those interested in exploring this shift can try this smart wallet architecture by downloading the Trust Wallet app and experiencing firsthand what token-based gas payments feel like.
