MetaMask, token 'MASK' issuance imminent…"May be sooner than expected"

Joseph Lubin, Ethereum (ETH) co-founder and ConsenSys CEO, officially confirmed that MetaMask's own token 'MASK' issuance is imminent.

On the 18th (local time), CEO Lubin said on The Block's podcast 'The Crypto Beat', "The MASK token is coming soon. It may come sooner than currently expected," adding, "This is closely related to the process of decentralizing some functions of the MetaMask platform."

He explained, "ConsenSys is supporting the Ethereum ecosystem to move toward gradual decentralization through MetaMask, Infura, and Linea," and "is ensuring that strict decentralization principles remain at the center of the ecosystem."

In the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) industry, the possibility of MetaMask issuing a token has been steadily raised since 2021. MetaMask engineer Eric Marks proposed introducing a community ownership structure through a token, and co-founder Dan Finlay also mentioned in an interview last May that "if the token is released, it would be advertised directly within the wallet." At the time, they stated that "(the token issuance) is not confirmed," but Lubin's remarks now appear to have made the token issuance more concrete.

Industry watchers expect MetaMask to formalize user community-based governance through the MASK token and to strengthen the decentralization trend within the Ethereum ecosystem.