Sofi Partners With Lightspark to Launch Lightning-Enabled International Money Transfers

Sofi (NASDAQ: SOFI) has announced the launch of its international money transfer service, allowing members to send funds abroad directly from the Sofi app with lower fees and faster delivery than traditional remittance providers. The service will utilize technology from Lightspark, which leverages the Bitcoin Lightning Network and Universal Money Address (UMA) to facilitate seamless … Read more

Block Initiates Onboarding of Sellers for Bitcoin Lightning Payments on Square

Jack Dorsey’s Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) has announced the initiation of onboarding for its first few sellers on Square to facilitate a new native bitcoin acceptance experience. In a social media post, the company’s executive officer expressed enthusiasm for this development, stating, “boom. today we’re onboarding our first few Square sellers for the new native … Read more

Wallet of Satoshi Launches Self-Custodial Lightning Wallet on Spark, Returns to the US Market

Wallet of Satoshi has announced the launch of its self-custodial Lightning wallet on the Spark platform, marking a significant advancement in making Lightning Network payments more scalable and accessible, particularly in the U.S. market. This integration allows users to have full control over their bitcoin, enabling them to send and receive transactions with an enhanced … Read more

Lightning Updates to Taproot Assets v0.6, Evolving Into a Multi-Asset Network Focusing on Stablecoins

Lightning Labs has announced the release of Taproot Assets v0.6, marking an advancement as the first multi-asset Lightning protocol on the Bitcoin mainnet. This update allows for the minting of assets, such as stablecoins, which can be sent instantly via the Lightning Network at low fees, enhancing the network’s functionality and security. Notably, Tether is … Read more

Amboss Launches Rails: Earn Yield on Bitcoin and Enhance Lightning Network Utility

Amboss, a solutions provider for the Bitcoin Lightning Network, has launched Rails, a self-custodial bitcoin service aimed at enhancing asset utility for companies, custodians, and high net worth individuals. Rails allows participants, referred to as Liquidity Providers (LPs), to maintain full custody of their bitcoin while generating returns through payment routing and liquidity leases, thereby … Read more

While Bitcoin’s Hashrate and Price Hit New Peaks, On- and Off-Chain Metrics Shrivel

Data shows that bitcoin has held firm above the $100,000 threshold for 23 straight days—an unprecedented streak. Moreover, the network’s computing strength has hit its highest point this year, positioning 2025 as a standout period for several notable benchmarks. Although the bull cycle has delivered striking moves in both price and hashrate, metrics from onchain … Read more

Jack Dorsey’s Block to Roll out Bitcoin Lightning Payments on Square

Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) announced that it will launch bitcoin payments on its Square platform. By utilizing the Lightning Network, Square’s Point of Sale app will enable merchants to accept bitcoin payments directly through their hardware, facilitating near-instantaneous and low-cost transactions. The rollout is expected to begin in the second half of 2025 and reach … Read more

Revolut to Enhance Bitcoin Lightning Infrastructure in Europe via Lightspark

Lightspark has announced a new partnership with Revolut to enhance payment infrastructure using the bitcoin network in the UK and select European countries. This collaboration aims to eliminate delays and high network fees associated with traditional payment systems, enabling seamless transactions powered by advanced open technology. Revolut will connect to the open Money Grid, joining … Read more

Lightspark-Built Bitcoin L2 Spark Launches on Mainnet

Spark, a bitcoin L2 platform fully compatible with the Lightning Network, has launched on mainnet. Promoted as “the fastest, cheapest, most UX-friendly way to build financial apps and launch assets on bitcoin,” the network enables a series of use cases destined for monetary applications, such as issuing stablecoins on top of bitcoin or building hybrid … Read more