Ethereum Wallet MetaMask Will Likely Unveil Its Own Stablecoin this Week: Source

MetaMask, the cryptocurrency wallet that grew to popularity within the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem, is likely to unveil details of its own custom U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin shortly, potentially as soon as this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The MetaMask stablecoin (mUSD) was already reported to be in the works thanks to a prematurely posted governance proposal that was quickly deleted last week. After this week’s potential announcement, the new dollar-pegged token will become a live asset at the end of this month, the person said.

MetaMask, which has said it has over 30 million active monthly users, is working to issue its stablecoin with the help of Bridge, a firm that was acquired by fintech giant Stripe earlier this year that helps businesses integrate stablecoin payment rails, and stablecoin issuance protocol M^0.

As well as working closely with Bridge on the mUSD stablecoin, MetaMask has also enlisted the help of traditional finance alternative asset manager Blackstone to assist with custody and treasury management services for the token, the person said.

MetaMask and M^0 declined to comment. Blackstone and Bridge did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Like several other large crypto platforms that hold significant amounts of user funds in the form of major stablecoins like Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC, MetaMask’s prerogative to launch a branded stablecoin is driven by the opportunity to share in the yield of underlying stablecoin assets, usually short-term, highly liquid bonds such as U.S. Treasuries.