All Ethereum Wallets, Including MetaMask, Now Usable on NEAR Mainnet

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The NEAR Protocol has taken a transformative leap toward its vision of Chain Abstraction—a future where blockchain interoperability is seamless and user experience frictionless. As of now, Ethereum wallet users can directly interact with NEAR-based applications using familiar tools like MetaMask, Phantom, or any standard Ethereum wallet. This breakthrough integration, powered by Aurora Labs, marks a pivotal moment in cross-chain accessibility and usability.

Seamless Cross-Chain Access Without New Wallets

Historically, users interested in exploring ecosystems beyond Ethereum faced the cumbersome process of setting up new wallets, managing seed phrases, and bridging assets. With the new NEAR Wallet Selector integration, that barrier no longer exists for Ethereum users.

Thanks to this update, anyone with an Ethereum-compatible wallet can now sign in and interact with NEAR and multichain dApps—no separate NEAR wallet creation required. This is especially impactful for DeFi users, who can now access high-yield opportunities on NEAR without leaving their trusted wallets or undergoing complex onboarding steps.

👉 Discover how easy it is to use your existing wallet across chains

Developers benefit just as much. They can embed the Ethereum wallet selector directly into their applications, enabling instant login functionality via MetaMask or other Web3 wallets. This reduces user drop-off during onboarding and expands potential user bases across ecosystems.

Chain Abstraction: Bridging the Gap Between Blockchains

At the heart of this innovation lies NEAR’s ambitious Chain Abstraction initiative. The goal? To eliminate the need for users to understand or manage individual blockchains. Instead, they interact with decentralized applications as if they were all part of one unified network.

Chain Abstraction leverages technologies like Chain Signatures, allowing transactions to be signed once and executed across multiple chains. Now, Ethereum users can explore NEAR’s ecosystem—participate in liquidity pools, stake assets, trade on DEXs—all from within their existing wallet environment.

Illia Polosukhin, co-founder and CEO of NEAR, emphasized the significance:

“Enabling all Ethereum wallets, including MetaMask, to sign in on NEAR apps closes another gap in achieving Chain Abstraction. ETH users are now able to explore experiences on NEAR and other chains without needing to switch wallets. This is a big step forward for simpler onboarding and defragmenting liquidity and access for DeFi users, bringing all of Web3 closer to achieving the Chain Abstraction vision.”

Built by Aurora Labs: Powering Interoperability

This integration was developed by Aurora Labs, the team behind Aurora—a network of Virtual Chains that combines NEAR’s high scalability with robust infrastructure for deploying customizable blockchains.

Alex Shevchenko, CEO of Aurora Labs, highlighted the broader implications:

“By integrating Ethereum wallets into NEAR’s ecosystem, we streamline access and enhance the developer experience. Developers can now build apps that seamlessly serve both NEAR and Ethereum users, simplifying onboarding and expanding liquidity channels. This is a crucial step toward a unified Web3 where users and capital move freely across ecosystems.”

Aurora’s technology enables efficient cross-chain execution while maintaining compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), making it easier than ever for Ethereum-native projects to extend their reach.

Real-World Adoption: Leading dApps Embrace the Change

Several prominent projects in the NEAR ecosystem have already adopted the Ethereum wallet integration, offering immediate value to users:

These platforms now allow Ethereum wallet holders to log in instantly and begin using their services—whether providing liquidity, minting NFTs, or trading assets.

👉 Start exploring multichain DeFi with your current wallet

How to Get Started Today

Getting started is simple. Visit welcome-to-near.org and select your preferred Ethereum wallet (like MetaMask) to log in. From there, you can:

No new accounts. No asset transfers. Just seamless access.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Do I need to create a new wallet to use NEAR apps?
A: No. If you have an Ethereum-compatible wallet like MetaMask or Phantom, you can use it directly to access NEAR dApps through the Wallet Selector.

Q: Are my funds safe when using my ETH wallet on NEAR?
A: Yes. Your private keys remain secure in your wallet. The integration only allows signing interactions—it does not grant access to your assets unless you explicitly approve transactions.

Q: Can I use non-Ethereum wallets after this update?
A: Absolutely. Native NEAR wallets still work as before. The update adds Ethereum wallet support; it doesn’t replace existing options.

Q: What is Chain Abstraction?
A: Chain Abstraction is a design philosophy that hides blockchain complexity from users. It enables actions like signing once to interact across multiple chains, making Web3 feel more like traditional web experiences.

Q: Is gas paid in ETH or NEAR?
A: Transactions on NEAR require $NEAR for gas fees. However, some integrated platforms may offer gasless transactions or fee abstraction mechanisms to further simplify the experience.

Q: Which Ethereum wallets are supported?
A: Most EVM-compatible wallets are supported, including MetaMask, Phantom (in EVM mode), WalletConnect-enabled wallets, Trust Wallet, and more.

The Future of Unified Web3

This integration isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a foundational shift toward a more connected, user-centric Web3. By removing wallet fragmentation and lowering entry barriers, NEAR and Aurora Labs are accelerating the adoption of decentralized technologies.

As developers increasingly adopt Chain Abstraction patterns, we’ll see more applications that treat blockchains as backend infrastructure rather than front-end concerns. Users won’t need to know which chain they’re on—they’ll just use apps.

👉 See what’s possible when blockchains work together

For Ethereum users, this means broader access to innovative DeFi products. For developers, it means larger audiences and deeper liquidity pools. And for the entire Web3 space, it brings us one step closer to a truly unified digital economy.

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