- Revolut has partnered with Lightspark to integrate Bitcoin Lightning Network payments
- The service has been launched for users in the UK and select European Economic Area (EEA) countries
- This move has enabled faster, low-cost Bitcoin transactions through Lightspark’s infrastructure
Revolut has launched a new service enabling Bitcoin Lightning Network payments through a partnership with Lightspark. The rollout has gone live for users in the UK and parts of the EEA, allowing for faster and cheaper Bitcoin transfers. The integration strengthens Revolut’s position in the fintech space by offering more scalable cryptocurrency features following an expansion of its crypto offering.
Revolut Joins “Open Money Grid”
Lightspark revealed the integration yesterday through a social media post. The company, headed by David Marcus, formerly the head of Facebook’s Libra project, will allow Revolut to connect to what it calls the “open Money Grid,” joining key players like Cash App (Block), Kraken and Bitfinex in adopting Bitcoin’s primary scaling solution for transactions.
The Lightning Network has grown in usage and availability in recent years as companies like Strike have made its technology more user-friendly, allowing a growing number of people to use Bitcoin for everyday spending without clogging up the main chain. Using the Lightning Network allows Bitcoin to keep its block size small, aiding decentralization.
“Natural Step Forward”
Emil Urmanshin, General Manager of Crypto at Revolut, commented on the integration:
Integrating with Lightspark is a natural step forward. We’re always looking for ways to offer faster and more affordable financial solutions — and their approach to global transactions enables us to do exactly that.
Marcus also expressed enthusiasm about the partnership:
Revolut is at the forefront of modern finance, and we’re thrilled to help power this integration. The future of money is real-time, low-cost, and borderless—exactly what Lightspark solves for.
This rollout is currently available to Revolut customers in the UK and several EEA countries, and it will be interesting to see how much Bitcoin traffic moves over to the new method.
