MetaMask, a leading self-custodial wallet for Ethereum, is debuting a new blockchain-based debit card in partnership with Mastercard and Baanx.
This MetaMask Card will first be available in a pilot program featuring a few thousand digital-only cards for users in the EU and the UK. A broader rollout is expected later this year, with plans to expand into additional regions in the following quarters.
This move highlights the increasing overlap between traditional finance and blockchain technology. As institutions begin to tokenize conventional assets and financial giants explore blockchain integration, MetaMask’s initiative represents a significant step forward.
Mastercard has been working with Baanx on web3 payment solutions, while Visa has teamed up with Circle’s USDC and the Solana network to enhance cross-border transactions.
The MetaMask Card functions similarly to a traditional debit card but allows direct spending from digital assets stored in MetaMask’s wallet.
It supports transactions using USDC, USDT, and wETH on the Linea blockchain, an Ethereum layer-2 network developed by ConsenSys.
Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered crypto custody bank, is urging its institutional clients to move away from major stablecoins like USDC, Agora USD (AUSD), and Usual USD (USD0), recommending instead a shift to the Global Dollar (USDG) — a stablecoin issued by Paxos and backed by a consortium that includes Anchorage itself.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has voiced concerns over the rise of zero-knowledge (ZK) digital identity projects, specifically warning that systems like World — formerly Worldcoin and backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman — could undermine pseudonymity in the digital world.
A new report by the European Central Bank (ECB) reveals that digital payment methods continue to gain ground across the euro area, though cash remains a vital part of the consumer payment landscape — particularly for small-value transactions and person-to-person (P2P) payments.
Geopolitical conflict rattles markets, but history shows panic selling crypto in response is usually the wrong move.