Consensys Software Inc. announced on Sept. 9 that it is separating into two independent companies, turning its MetaMask consumer platform into a standalone business while placing its protocol and institutional infrastructure operations in a newly formed Consensys entity. The companies began operating independently immediately, with the legal separation expected to finish by the end of 2026.
In the official announcement, Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin said the existing company will be rebranded as MetaMask. Lubin will serve as its chairman and chief executive, while becoming executive chairman of the new Consensys.
MetaMask becomes the dedicated consumer company
The rebranded MetaMask business will focus exclusively on the wallet and its consumer products. Consensys said the app, users’ assets, private keys and access remain unchanged, and customers do not need to take any action because of the corporate restructuring.
The company also said its developer-facing SDKs, APIs and tooling will continue as before. MetaMask has recently broadened its product reach through integrations, including support for Robinhood Chain swaps, bridging and decentralized applications. The separation gives that consumer strategy its own corporate structure rather than keeping it alongside institutional infrastructure.
Linea and Ethereum infrastructure stay with Consensys
The newly formed Consensys will retain Linea as well as the protocol and enterprise infrastructure work that includes Besu and Teku. The announcement says the business will continue supporting the Ethereum ecosystem and pursue business-to-business and business-to-business-to-consumer opportunities.
Mike Kriak will lead Consensys as chief executive, with David Cunningham serving as president. The two companies will operate independently, although Consensys is expected to remain an important channel partner for MetaMask. The announcement did not disclose financial terms, ownership allocations or employee numbers for either business.
The split separates two different customer markets
Lubin framed the restructuring as a way to give the consumer and institutional operations sharper focus. MetaMask targets self-custody users and developers, while Consensys will concentrate on Ethereum protocols and infrastructure used by institutions and enterprises.
Consensys said MetaMask has recorded more than 100 million downloads across roughly 190 countries and trillions of dollars in cumulative transaction volume. Those figures are company-provided totals rather than independently audited metrics. For users, the immediate significance is continuity: the wallet’s security model and access are not being changed as part of the separation.