MetaMask Announces Roadmap with User-Centric Enhancements
MetaMask, the extensively used self-custodial crypto wallet for the Ethereum (ETH) network, recently revealed a series of updates designed to streamline the user experience.
Smart Contract Integration and Batched Transactions
A key part of MetaMask’s revamped roadmap involves incorporating smart contract capabilities into the existing wallet. One significant addition is the implementation of ERC-5792, also known as batched transactions. This feature allows users to consolidate transaction steps, such as “approve + swap,” into a single click, potentially saving both time and gas fees.
Currently operating as an Externally Owned Account (EOA), MetaMask wallets are controlled by a public and private key. Unlike Contract Accounts (CAs), which utilize code to control wallets and have recovery mechanisms, EOAs are susceptible to human error, potentially resulting in permanent loss of funds if the private key is forgotten.
In a blog post shared at ETHDenver, the MetaMask team emphasized the benefits of smart-contract-based accounts stating that the updates “allow us to solve a number of problems: allowing new powerful uses of the assets you hold, while simultaneously improving security. When the user defines their terms from their own programmable account, we greatly expand how the user expresses their agency in ways that are enforced by their own code.”
Dan Finlay, co-founder of MetaMask, explained to CoinDesk that batched transactions will streamline the user experience. “We’ll present them to the user in a nice, unified way. The user will pay for one gas fee for the series of events and then it’ll just be one block for the whole series of operations,” he said.
MetaMask Debit Card Rollout
The MetaMask team also announced that its debit card is set to become available in select U.S. states, beginning in mid-March. This card, already available in the UK and EU, connects directly to a user’s MetaMask wallet.
According to a blog post, the card enables users to “be earning staking rewards or yield on your favorite protocol with your favorite tokens and have those funds available to spend anywhere that Mastercard is accepted with just a tap.”
Expanded Cryptocurrency Support
In line with the theme of simplifying the user experience, MetaMask is incorporating support for Bitcoin (BTC) and Solana (SOL) in its wallets, giving users the convenience of managing a wider array of crypto assets within a single platform.
Finlay noted that: “So these are simultaneously delivering some of the most popular blockchains, but, but they’re also ensuring that we have smoothed out every part of our interface that allows new blockchains to be added seamlessly.”
