From Metamask’s co-founder’s “maybe” comment about the “MASK” token to $PI token price plunge

This article roundup of the top crypto stories you may have missed.

Here is a roundup of some of the top crypto stories you may have missed this week.

Metamask Token ‘Maybe’ This Year

MetaMask co-founder Dan Finlay said the team is still considering launching a native token, saying it’s “maybe” this year, during an interview on The Block’s Crypto Beat podcast.

While there are no immediate plans for a token launch, Finlay said they will advertise it within the wallet if they do. He also said that the regulatory environment might be safer for token launches under a more permissive administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, paving the way for broader experimentation in the crypto space.

The idea of a MetaMask token, possibly called $MASK, has been discussed since 2021, with Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin teasing its launch and including it in his broader decentralization strategy. Plans for a DAO and token have been mentioned as ways to increase community ownership, but Finlay said they are approaching it cautiously due to regulatory risks.

Pump.fun Starts Sharing Revenue With Coin Creators

Cryptocurrency launchpad Pump.fun is now sharing trading fees with coin creators in a bid to promote long-term engagement and discourage pump-and-dump behavior.

Coin creators will now earn 0.05% of the trading volume in $SOL from PumpSwap trades on their coins. The new model applies to both new coins launching on PumpSwap and those already trading on the decentralized exchange, providing creators with ongoing, claimavable revenue through the platform’s dashboard.

According to Pump.fun, the initiative aims to encourage more sustainable and creative project development—such as utility tokens, community-driven media, and tokenized games—by offering recurring income instead of short-term gains.

CREATOR REVENUE SHARING is finally here!!!50% of PumpSwap Revenue is now shared with Coin Creators 🤯🤯🤯create a coin and start earning every time someone places a trade NOWcontinue reading to learn more pic.twitter.com/XmdpFdIUhV

However, the automatic 0.05% developer fee model is facing backlash for allegedly incentivizing rug pulls and undermining community-led project revivals. Critics argue it prioritizes passive income over sustainability, potentially encouraging bad practices and weakening traditional decentralized exchange norms.

Binance Wallet Quickly Takes Over Swap Market

Binance Wallet was noted to quickly rise to dominate the crypto swap market in 2025, jumping from just 3.4% market share in early January to over 93% by mid-May, according to Dune Analytics.

The rapid ascent is attributed to the launch of Binance Alpha, a centralized token launchpad that rewards users with “Alpha points” for platform engagement—points that may qualify them for early access to new tokens and potential listings.

Moreover, the surge pushed aside rivals like OKX, MetaMask, and imToken, while sparking concerns about centralization and the fading influence of community-driven airdrops in Web3.

Hackers Paid Over Anonymized Coinbase Employees For Account Data

Crypto giant Coinbase revealed it could lose up to $400 million after cybercriminals bribed overseas support agents to access sensitive customer data. The attackers exploited less than 1% of user accounts to impersonate the firm, trick victims into handing over crypto, and then demanded a $20 million ransom—which Coinbase refused to pay.

While no passwords, private keys, or funds were directly compromised, stolen data included names, addresses, government ID images, and account balances. Coinbase independently uncovered the breach, fired the involved employees, and reinforced its fraud protections.

According to the company, it is now working with law enforcement and has launched a $20 million reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

Pi Token Drops 40% After $100M Fund Announcement

Shortly after Pi Network announced a $100 million investment fund to support ecosystem growth and innovation, its native token, $PI, saw a sharp drop, falling from over $1.50 to $0.85 in just 24 hours.

While the announcement briefly pushed $PI into the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market cap, the post-announcement plunge led to heavy criticism and speculation that the surge was fueled more by hype than substance, with some users accusing the team of manipulating sentiment through overhyped teasers.

Critics on social media suggested the announcement’s impact could have been softened by combining it with additional news and teased updates, which might help in spreading out the hype and anticipation.

In response, Pi Network-affiliated sources emphasized that the initiative was focused on long-term ecosystem development rather than short-term price movements.

This article is published on BitPinas: Crypto News You May Have Missed This Week | May 17, 2025

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