cLabs recently announced their selection of Optimism for transitioning to Layer 2. Both parties have confirmed their collaboration online.

According to Optimism's recent tweet, Celo will be migrating to Layer 2 to leverage the OP Stack. This transition will enable Celo L2 to achieve several objectives:

- Reduce block time and enhance throughput.

- Maintain 1-block finality.

- Stay aligned with the Ultragreen Money initiative.

- Retain ERC-20 tokens for gas currency.

- Preserve core features like sending money via email and phone numbers.

Celo also communicated this collaboration through its official channels, marking four years of Celo Mainnet and introducing CEL2. The transition to Ethereum Layer 2 with Optimism follows a unanimous community decision, with evaluations of various options like Arbitrum Orbit, OP Stack, ZK Stack, and Polygon CDK.

Developers have integrated the Gingerbread Hardfork to prepare for the Layer 2 transition, considering factors like time, production, and Ethereum compatibility. Choosing to build on the OP Stack ensures a smooth deployment of Layer 2 while meeting the needs of the Celo community.

In addition to the mentioned benefits, this collaboration will result in technical improvements:

- Reduction of block time from 5 seconds to 2 seconds.

- A 50% increase in throughput.

- Enhanced security when bridging to Ethereum.

Furthermore, Celo is celebrating its fourth anniversary, offering users the opportunity to mint a free, exclusive CEL2 NFT on the Celosphere marketplace. With more quests and drops planned, the network is poised to attract a wave of new users.