Christian Montoya is the Network Expansion Product Lead at MetaMask, responsible for leading the expansion into new blockchain networks including Solana and Bitcoin.
Prior to this, Christian was the product lead for MetaMask Snaps, a novel developer platform that allows anyone to safely expand the features of MetaMask with custom applications called “Snaps.” In the first year since launch, over 1 million users have installed and tried Snaps by 3rd party developers. These Snaps add support for over 50 new blockchains to MetaMask as well as a wide variety of features including security services, notifications, identity management, multi-factor accounts, and privacy protocols.
Before joining MetaMask, Christian had numerous roles at organizations both big and small, working in gaming, education, music technology, artificial intelligence, and data privacy. He is also an NFT creator and junior Solidity developer, having independently launched 3 NFT projects to date.
September 12, 2024, marked the first anniversary of the launch of the MetaMask Snaps platform. To say that the past year has been a whirlwind experience is an understatement.In just one year, users have enabled Snaps in MetaMask over 1 million times, and more than 60 developer teams have shipped 73 Snaps in our directory. These Snaps add support for over 50 different non-EVM blockchains and offer a variety of features across four categories.By the numbers:1.1M installs across all Snaps.Over 70 allow-listed Snaps from more than 60 external developers.Supporting over 50 blockchains with a wide range of features across multiple categories.
How it all started
Snaps began with a simple idea: what if anyone could extend MetaMask to support new use cases? The first Snap was a Cosmos Wallet add-on built in 2019. Over the next few years, contributions from many developers helped shape the platform into what it is today.When we launched in September 2023, we had about 35 Snaps available. Since then, we've cultivated a thriving developer ecosystem, making MetaMask even more versatile. With Snaps, you can explore various blockchains, add custom multi-sig accounts, get dapp notifications, receive transaction warnings, and interact with privacy protocols.The future of MetaMask Snaps
What does the future hold for MetaMask Snaps?We will launch new categories of Snaps based on new APIs that will enhance readability and trust in MetaMask. Expect Snaps to deliver richer and more interactive experiences within MetaMask, including the first examples of Snaps running on MetaMask Mobile.The future is bright because empowering builders to extend MetaMask benefits everyone. Explore all the currently allow-listed Snaps in our official directory and learn how to build your own in our documentation.
This article is written by:
- Christian Montoya
