lightspark crossed $1b monthly volume on lightning network. cross river bank just announced 24/7 fiat-to-lightning settlement through U.S. banking rails. enterprise treasurers can now pay lightning invoices without touching crypto. coinbase, nubank, and a chartered bank all chose the same infrastructure provider. 5,600 BTC locked in lightning channels. bitcoin's digital gold thesis dying at the exact moment its payment infrastructure gets banking integration. the narrative rescue nobody expected. ...

🚨 BIG: Bitcoin’s Lightning Network surpassed $1 billion in monthly transaction volume. https://t.co/Ih62RGwi4I ...

RT James Hunt (@humanjets)ICYMI: Here's a quick news recap from today's Asia & EMEA sessions @TheBlock__ 👇🏹 Robinhood's public testnet for its own Layer 2 blockchain accumulated four million transactions in its first week, according to CEO Vlad Tenev.🇰🇷 South Korean prosecutors recovered roughly $21.4 million worth of bitcoin stolen from their custody last year, according to local media reports.⚒️ The United Arab Emirates is sitting on approximately $344 million in unrealized profit from royal family-linked ...

RT Lightning News (@LightningNewsX)⚡️ BREAKING: First ever $1,000,000 transaction settled over the Ligthning Network 😲@Voltage powered the transfer between @SD_Marketsand @krakenfx in .47 seconds. https://t.co/1kOAcQ72wv ...

Lightning makes BTC transactions near-instantaneous. By working with @SD_Markets and @voltage_cloud on this proof of concept, Kraken has shown how Lightning enables BTC treasury operations & institutional-sized settlements 🤝Voltage ⚡ (@voltage_cloud):$1,000,000 was settled over the Lightning Network. On January 28th history was made.We just powered the first publicly reported $1M Lightning transaction between @SD_Markets and @krakenfx in .47 seconds.The future of institutional Bitcoin settlement is here.Lig ...

Group 1 - Steak 'n Shake, a subsidiary of Biglari Holdings, added $5 million worth of Bitcoin to its Strategic Reserve [1] - The company announced that all Bitcoin sales contribute to its strategic reserve, emphasizing a self-sustaining system that enhances food quality and same-store sales [2] - This recent addition follows a $10 million Bitcoin expansion earlier in the month, marking a significant treasury-related move [3] Group 2 - Steak 'n Shake has begun accepting Bitcoin payments globally through the Lightning Network, resulting in nearly 50% savings in transaction fees compared to credit card processing [4] - The company is actively integrating Bitcoin into its operations, including a BTC bonus for hourly employees, which vests after two years [4] - As of the latest data, Bitcoin was trading at $88,811.53, with Biglari shares rising 1.67% in after-hours trading, reflecting a year-to-date increase of 19.83% [5]

Core Viewpoint - Steak 'n Shake is actively engaging with the cryptocurrency community by implementing Bitcoin bonuses for employees and has seen positive impacts on sales since accepting Bitcoin as a payment option [1][6]. Group 1: Employee Compensation - Starting March 1, Steak 'n Shake will provide hourly employees at company-operated restaurants with a Bitcoin bonus of $0.21 for every hour worked, with a two-year vesting period for the payments [3][4]. - An employee working a full 40 hours per week would earn $8.40 weekly, translating to an annual total of $436.80 in Bitcoin, assuming no weeks off [4]. Group 2: Bitcoin Value Projections - Current Bitcoin price is $88,061.52, meaning the annual Bitcoin payments could buy approximately 0.0050 BTC, which could be worth $5,000 if Bitcoin reaches $1 million by 2030 [5]. Group 3: Sales Impact - Steak 'n Shake has increased its Bitcoin holdings by $10 million as part of its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, and same-store sales have risen significantly since accepting Bitcoin [6]. - The company claims that one in every 500 Bitcoin transactions globally occurred at Steak 'n Shake on the day it launched Bitcoin payments [6]. Group 4: Transaction Efficiency - The COO of Steak 'n Shake stated that Bitcoin has improved transaction speeds and reduced processing fees by 50%, benefiting both customers and the company [7]. Group 5: Stock Performance - Biglari Holdings Inc, the parent company of Steak 'n Shake, saw its stock rise by 2.7% to $456.10, with a 106.5% increase over the last 52 weeks [8].

Core Insights - Steak 'n Shake, a subsidiary of Biglari Holdings, will start offering Bitcoin bonuses to hourly employees at its company-operated restaurants beginning March 1 [1][2] - Employees will receive a bonus of $0.21 worth of Bitcoin for every hour worked, with a two-year vesting period for collection [2] - The company has partnered with Fold, a Bitcoin-focused personal finance application, to implement this bonus program [2] Financial Strategy - Steak 'n Shake has added $10 million worth of Bitcoin to its balance sheet and plans to accept Bitcoin payments starting in 2025 [3][5] - The company reported nearly 50% savings in transaction fees within two weeks of accepting Bitcoin payments compared to traditional credit card processing [3][4] - All Bitcoin sales are directed into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, further enhancing the company's commitment to cryptocurrency [5] Market Performance - As of the latest data, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $89,133.47, down 2.01% in the last 24 hours [5] - Biglari Holdings' shares experienced a decline of 0.33% in pre-market trading, following a 2.91% drop during the regular trading session, with a year-to-date decline of 64% [6]

Core Insights - Tether has made an $8 million strategic investment in Speed1, Inc. to enhance Lightning-native, stablecoin-powered payments for global commerce, indicating a strong commitment to Bitcoin-aligned payment infrastructure [1][2] - The investment aims to support the growing adoption of USDT on the Bitcoin Lightning network, which is expected to facilitate instant and low-fee settlements for various users [3][5] Investment Details - Tether co-led the funding round for Speed, which focuses on payment solutions utilizing the Bitcoin Lightning Network and stablecoins, targeting a diverse range of users including consumers, creators, platforms, and enterprise merchants [2][3] - Speed processes over $1.5 billion in annual payment volume and serves approximately 1.2 million users and businesses, showcasing its significant market presence [3] Strategic Goals - Tether views the Speed investment as part of a broader strategy to bolster Bitcoin-based financial infrastructure and expand the role of USDT in real-world payment scenarios [3][4] - CEO Paolo Ardoino emphasized that the combination of Lightning technology and stablecoins like USDT can streamline transactions and prepare Bitcoin networks for mainstream commercial use [4] Market Trends - The activity of stablecoins on the Lightning Network has increased since Tether's announcement to integrate USDT with Bitcoin's base layer and Lightning, which is expected to lower costs and settlement times for various payment types [5] - Consumer applications, such as Block's Cash App, are beginning to adopt Lightning and stablecoins, indicating a growing trend towards integrating these technologies into everyday financial transactions [6] Recent Initiatives - Tether's investment in Speed is part of a series of strategic moves to expand USDT's payment capabilities, including investments in Zengo wallet and Fizen, aimed at enhancing stablecoin access and self-custody tools [7] - In November 2025, Tether also invested in Ledn, a Bitcoin-backed lender, to broaden credit products while maintaining customer self-custody, further supporting the use of USDT and BTC as collateral [8]

If this is our competition for payments, Dash is probably going to do just fine. 😏Joel Valenzuela (@TheDesertLynx):I tried running a test with a merchant that accepted Bitcoin over the Lightning Network.Didn't work.😵Contacted the merchant (who will remain anonymous). Paraphrasing what they said:"You had issues with Lightning? The node is running with 4 channels in green and balanced, ...