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Bitcoin Is Coming to Ethereum Stalwart MetaMask: Sources – TradingView News
MetaMask is a giant in the Ethereum {{ETH}} ecosystem, the most used wallet on this blockchain. It’s about to cross one of the biggest tribal divides in cryptocurrencies with plans to add support for Bitcoin {{BTC}}, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
The exact timeline is unclear, but one person said access could come to MetaMask next month. Another person said that Bitcoin’s exact functionality is not yet defined, but features may initially be limited and expanded over time.
MetaMask’s Ethereum wallet is the gateway for over 30 million monthly active users into the Web3 world of decentralized applications and non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. When Ethereum debuted nearly a decade ago, it expanded the capabilities of what a blockchain could do beyond what Bitcoin pioneered by adding support for smart contracts — essentially software built on top of that blockchain.
MetaMask helps users navigate a smart contract-based environment. Since early last year, similar functionality has been added to Bitcoin, including NFT-type Ordinals and Runes, which have enabled the creation of meme coins on Bitcoin. It is unclear whether MetaMask support will help users overcome these Bitcoin improvements.
MetaMask is built by Consensys, an Ethereum-centric research and development company run by Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin. Asked to comment on the development plans, a MetaMask spokesperson said via email: “We are excited about MetaMask’s commitment to embracing the multi-chain world of web3 and continually exploring new integrated features to improve usability and self-custodial leader security While we cannot confirm any timelines for specific developments at this time, we are always working on innovations to better serve our users.
While MetaMask does not currently facilitate Bitcoin directly, it uses an Ethereum-compatible ERC-20 token known as Wrapped Bitcoin. WWBTC to connect bitcoin to Ethereum decentralized applications.