Consensys, the blockchain software company behind the MetaMask wallet, plans to go public and has tapped JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs as lead underwriters for its initial public offering, Axios reported Wednesday. The listing will mark one of the most significant public debuts yet by a company building Ethereum’s infrastructure the world’s second largest blockchain.
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the company told CoinDesk that it had nothing to announce at this time, but that it is continually evaluating opportunities for growth. “The company is constantly exploring opportunities to expand its influence,” the spokesperson said.
Founded by Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, Consensys develops tools that allow users and developers to interact with Ethereum applications. Its best-known product, MetaMask, acts as a digital wallet used by millions to store crypto, manage tokens and connect to decentralized applications directly from a browser.
Consensys also backs SharpLink, an Ethereum financial management firm that on Tuesday announced plans to deploy $200 million of its holdings in onchain return strategies. The funds will be allocated on Linea, a Layer 2 network incubated by Consensys that aims to make Ethereum transactions faster and cheaper.
If Consensys goes public, it will join a number of other crypto-native companies that have listed on U.S. exchanges year after year amid cautious investor sentiment and unclear regulation, including stablecoin issuer Circle ( CRCL ), crypto exchange Gemini ( GEMI ), and crypto platform Bullish ( BLSH ).
UPDATE (October 29, 9:42 UTC): Adding opinion from Consensys.
