European crypto exchange Bitstamp has set up its own Lightning Network (LN) node to boost the network’s capabilities, the company tweeted on July 8. As a second layer over the blockchain of the biggest cryptocurrency, bitcoin (BTC), the LN is designed to enable fast and zero-fee transactions by creating payment channels between users. Specifically, the network aims to address bitcoin’s scalability problem by keeping the majority of transactions off-chain. By launching its own LN node, Bitstamp aims to promote the growth of the network, as well as encourage the crypto industry to adopt the technology, the firm wrote in an …

Bitcoin (BTC) wallet Electrum will soon host support for the Lightning Network (LN), Russian cryptocurrency news outlet Forklog reported on Telegram July 5. In a social media update, the publication said founder Thomas Voegtlin had revealed the upcoming release at the ongoing BIP001 conference in Odessa, Ukraine. Electrum, one of the oldest bitcoin wallets on the market since 2011, said LN functionality would come as part of an impending major upgrade. The most recent version of the wallet came earlier this week. Electrum will be one of the first major wallets to bring LN to the mainstream, the technology itself …

Social media platform Gab has made a bid to seal $10 million in a Series A crowdfunding round that will enable it decentralize its infrastructure and integrate bitcoin (BTC) and Lightning Network payments. Founded in 2016, Gab has risen to notoriety due to a perception that it serves as an “echo chamber” for “extremist,” alt- or far-right views as it welcomes users who have been banned from sites like Twitter and Facebook for their alleged violations of hate speech rules. More broadly, the site targets a user base of libertarian, nationalist, populist or conservative leanings — or anyone who dissents …

Bitrefill has made it possible for users of major American crypto exchange and wallet service Coinbase to access its full suite of Lightning Network (LN) services directly from within their native exchange accounts. The news was revealed in an official tweet from Bitrefill on June 25. The capability comes as part of Bitrefill’s new Thor API, which allows multiple platform users to instantly open custom channels on the Lightning Network via Bitrefill’s nodes — whether those platforms offer native support for LN or not. They can also pay Lightning invoices directly from within their Coinbase account. As previously reported, the …

Chinese cryptocurrency exchanges facilitate 60% of all stablecoin tether (USDT) trading globally, according to an analysis by Diar on June 3. According to the report, Chinese exchanges in 2019 thus far account for over $10 billion in USDT trading. The United States, in contrast, is said to account for only $450 million of USDT traded. Global exchange giants Binance and Bitfinex reportedly account for close to the remaining amount of Tether traded, accounting for 31% of USDT activity. Additionally, the analysis concludes that the trading numbers are not misleading. According to their findings, a similar amount of sending and receiving …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex is looking to launch the USDT stablecoin operated by sister firm Tether on the Lightning Network (LN), crypto news outlet The Block reported on May 31. Per the report, Bitfinex’s chief technology officer Paolo Ardoino told the outlet that the company plans to launch USDT on LN later this year. To pursue this objective, the firm reportedly joined the RGB open source development project. According to its GitHub repository, the RGB project is “a completely free, open-source, non-profit and community-oriented effort, promoted by the BHB Network and aimed at the development of standards and best practices …

RIF Labs — owner of bitcoin-based smart contract sidechain Rootstock (RSK) developer RSK Labs — has launched a third-layer scalability solution capable of processing up to 5,000 transactions per second. The news was revealed in a press release from RIF News on May 14. As reported, RSK Labs and its decentralized app (DApp) infrastructure protocols RIF OS began as a spin-off from Rootstock, having been initially launched by several senior executives from the latter’s creator — the startup RSK Labs. The two structures became fully integrated when RIF Labs acquired RSK Labs in November 2018. Originally conceived by Bitcoin Core …

Blockchain development company Lightning Labs announced that it released the first alpha version of its Lightning Network (LN) client for the main bitcoin (BTC) network, according to a blog post published on April 23. The announcement specifies that this is still an early version aimed at testers and developers willing to start experimenting with the software. The developers also warn that the users should not put more funds into the app than they are willing to lose. Furthermore, while the release supports macOS, Windows and Linux, the post also specifies that it is an important stepping stone in the development …

Crypto payments processing startup Moon is launching a web browser extension that allows e-commerce shoppers to use their Lightning Network (LN) bitcoin (BTC) wallets for purchases on sites like Amazon. The news was reported by Moon’s official Twitter on April 22. While Moon’s regular Chrome browser extension is already available on the Chrome web store, the startup tweeted to note that the lightning feature update is still under review, and is expected to launch imminently. As previously reported, the bitcoin Lightning Network is a second-layer solution to bitcoin’s scalability limitations, opening payment channels between users that keep the majority of …

Ripple’s fundraising arm Xpring announced in a blog post on April 17 that it has joined several companies to invest in Bolt Labs, a startup aiming to deliver “instant, cheap and private payments” by adding a layer of anonymity to existing networks. Zooko Wilcox, CEO of the Electric Coin Company — the firm behind Zcash — confirmed to Forbes that his company also contributed to Bolt Labs’ seed round. Wilcox has also been appointed as an advisor to the startup. In a blog post setting out its vision, Bolt Labs said it wants to create “scalable, fast and private payment …

Gemini, the crypto exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, has updated its wallet infrastructure to include support for Segregated Witness (SegWit) bitcoin (BTC) addresses. The news was revealed in a Gemini blog post on April 15. SegWit is a scalability solution for the bitcoin network, first activated in late 2017. As well as increasing block size, Segwit moves the “witness” signature data to a separate location. It thus solves what is known as transaction malleability, which is conducive to second-layer solutions like Lightning Network (LN). Claiming that Gemini is the first major crypto exchange to launch full — rather than …

Charity-focused organization Bitcoin Venezuela tweeted on April 10 that the so-called Lightning Torch had reached its final destination, with all accumulated Bitcoin (BTC) donated to the group. By the time it got to the organization, the Lightning Torch had grown to exactly 0.4108021 BTC, which is currently equivalent to over $2,000. The Torch is an experiment first initiated by anonymous Twitter user Hodlnaut. The Lightning Torch is passed by sending the same BTC from user to user adding a little every time via the scalability solution, Lightning Network (LN). Bitcoin Venezuela is reportedly responsible for the humanitarian initiative “Bitcoin for …