# The Bankless Guide to MetaMask

*Author: Bankless*
*Published: Apr 27, 2026*
*Source: https://www.bankless.com/es/read/the-bankless-guide-to-metamask*

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In 2016, MetaMask launched as a browser wallet that let people interact with Ethereum. 

Fast forward to 2026, and the wallet giant is now a full financial suite, offering a streamlined self-custodial extension and mobile app for buying crypto, swapping tokens, investing in onchain stocks, trading perpetual futures, earning yield on stablecoins, and more. 

## **The Pulse of MetaMask**
ConsenSys created MetaMask as a browser extension for Chrome, designed to give regular users a simple way to manage Ethereum accounts and interact with onchain apps. 

After the first few years, the wallet's adoption became explosive. MetaMask's monthly active users passed 30 million in 2022, and by late 2025 the project had reached +140 million total users and +5 billion transactions facilitated. 

The feature set expanded alongside the user base. MetaMask added a mobile app, then a Portfolio dashboard for tracking holdings across chains, then native swap aggregation, then support for more Ethereum Virtual Machine and non-EVM networks, including [Solana](https://metamask.io/news/solana-on-metamask-sol-wallet) and [Bitcoin](https://metamask.io/news/bitcoin-on-metamask-btc-wallet) in 2025. 

As such, MetaMask now positions itself as "The Everything Wallet," and the product has been built out accordingly, adding yield, card spending, prediction markets, and beyond. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/HG7yULTacAAuqoz.png)
## **What MetaMask Offers Today**
In a sense, the MetaMask suite has three fundamental layers. The first layer is self-custody wallets, such that you can spin up as many wallets as you want and only *you *control your funds. 

The second layer is the trading and financial products, like swaps, perps, predictions, and real-world assets (RWAs). This is the layer that has expanded most dramatically in recent years.

The third layer is the newest addition and is centered around spending, namely the MetaMask Card, the MetaMask USD (mUSD) stablecoin, and a rewards program that ties these pieces together.

Each of the main offerings is described in more detail below.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/8c6e475f-4ec8-4dbb-907d-11d308f29415.jpg)
### 🦊** Swaps **
[MetaMask Swaps](https://metamask.io/swaps) is a token exchange aggregator that queries multiple decentralized exchanges (DEXes) and routes your trades through whichever path offers the best rate at the moment. This interface is also where users can find and buy [tokenized stocks and ETFs](https://bankless.ghost.io/has-bitcoin-bottomed-jordi-visser-on-ai-inflation-and-moats/). 

### ⛲** Perps**
MetaMask offers [perpetual futures trading](https://metamask.io/perps) in its mobile app through a partnership with Hyperliquid, letting you take leveraged long or short positions on crypto assets with up to 50x leverage and no expiration date. Notably, you can fund your perps account with any EVM token. 

### 🔮** Predictions**
MetaMask has also natively [integrated Polymarket](https://metamask.io/prediction-markets) into its wallet, offering a simplified hub to browse and trade on the outcomes of real-world event markets in crypto, politics, sports, and beyond, and all without leaving the MetaMask UI. USDC on Polygon is used for funding. 

### 💸** Earn**
The [Earn section](https://metamask.io/earn) of MetaMask lets you stake ETH into the [MetaMask Pooled Staking](https://support.metamask.io/manage-crypto/earn/stake/pooled-staking/what-is-mm-pooled-staking/) system, which allows staking any amount of ETH instead of the 32 ETH minimum needed to become a traditional validator. Afterwards, you would receive pro rata staking yields depending your deposit amount. 

### 🎁** Rewards **
The [MetaMask Card](https://metamask.io/card) is a debit card for spending stablecoins directly from your wallet at +150 million merchants. The virtual card (no annual fee) earns 1% cashback in [mUSD](https://metamask.io/price/metamask-usd), while the Metal card ($199/year) earns 3% cashback on the first $10,000 spent annually. Separately, users who convert stablecoins to mUSD can earn a [bonus of up to 3%](https://metamask.io/musd-bonus-terms-of-use).

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/0ed82514-fc43-4426-9a1d-efc27a6a9109.jpg)
## **How to Get Started**
The three main ways to access the MetaMask experience are the mobile apps ([Android ](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.metamask)and [iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/metamask-trade-crypto/id1438144202?pt=119300752)), the browser extensions ([Brave](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/metamask/nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn), [Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/metamask/nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn?pli=1), [Edge](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/metamask/nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn), [Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ether-metamask/), and [Opera](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/metamask/nkbihfbeogaeaoehlefnkodbefgpgknn)), or the dedicated [web app](https://portfolio.metamask.io/). 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/image-55.png)Since the mobile apps now offer the flagship feature set, though, we recommend beginning here. To dive in you would: 

- **Download the app**
To be safe, only download through [metamask.io](https://metamask.io/download) or the official app stores.
- **Create your wallet**
In case you don't want to backup a recovery phrase, you can create a wallet by simply logging in with your Apple or Google account and providing a password. Otherwise, you'll need to write down and securely store your recovery phrase. 
- **Fund your wallet**
Press the "Receive" tab if you want to fetch and copy your new MetaMask address and deposit to it from another account you already control, like your exchange address. Alternatively, press the "Buy" or "Add funds" tabs to pull up the option to buy crypto via debit card. 
- **Explore**
Beyond adding and sending crypto, from the home screen you can access four unique hubs: *Explore *(for searching tokens/web URLs), *Trade *(for swaps, perps, predictions, and staking), *Activity *(for tracking your transactions), and *Rewards *(for the MetaMask Card dashboard and mUSD conversion bonus claims). 
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/e338dc31-3f04-4f91-bd1c-429c0900b029.jpg)
## **Safety First**
MetaMask is self-custodial, so the team can't reset your password, recover your wallet, or reverse transactions for you. Only *you *control your money here, which is the point. Yet this dynamic also means that the security of your wallet depends entirely on you. 

As such, a few principles worth following:

- **Protect your recovery phrase** — If you created a MetaMask wallet without social login, you received a secret recovery phrase. This is the master key to your wallet, and anyone who has access to it can control your funds. Never share it with anyone else, and store it somewhere safe offline. Consider making multiple backups in the case of natural disasters, etc. 
- **Consider a hardware wallet** — MetaMask supports pairing your account with hardware wallets like Ledger devices. With a hardware wallet, transaction signing happens on a separate physical device, which blocks off an entire swathe of software-based wallet attacks. It's a simple and immediate way to bolster the defense of your MetaMask activities. 
- **Be cautious with approvals** — When you interact with onchain apps, you are often asked to sign token approvals that grant these apps permission to interact with your tokens. Unlimited approvals are common but risky in the case of project hacks or phishing scams. Periodically review and revoke approvals you no longer need using tools like revoke.cash, and never sign a transaction you don't understand. You can always research more and come back later. 
Another option to consider here is MetaMask's [Transaction Shield](https://metamask.io/transaction-shield). It's a paid subscription service ($9.99/month or $99/year) providing up to $10,000 a month in coverage for losses on qualifying transactions like DeFi swaps. However, keep in mind this service doesn't cover losses from compromised recovery phrases, protocol hacks, or trading losses.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e4/b7/e4b77544-5a37-4f0b-8824-8440aa348476/content/images/2026/04/mm-transaction-shield-cover-assets.png)
## **Bottom Line**
MetaMask began as a simple way to connect to Ethereum. In 2026, it's a full-blown financial platform spanning trading, spending, yield, predictions, and more. 

The breadth of the wallet means it serves a wider range of users than it once did, and thus its prospects for continuing to introduce self-custody powers to the mainstream has grown in kind.
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*This article is brought to you by [MetaMask](https://www.bankless.com/es/sponsor/metamask-1776260643?ref=read/the-bankless-guide-to-metamask)*