Is this the news we have been waiting for? Are we finally out of the 2018 FUD curse. This article illistrates the effects of the Bitcoin Lightning network is having on our blockchain eco system. I for one am very excited. The most exciting part is the fact that they are planing on addapting the squares cash app. I quote " it is not if, but when". That will be huge for everyone involved so get in and HODL your coins because it may be a hell of a ride soon.
Although many industry insiders talk a big game about the real world viability of Bitcoin, as it stands the cryptocurrency has seen little adoption. In fact, it has been anecdotally said that the number of brick and mortar merchants accepting BTC has plummeted, not risen over the past years.
Yet, this could change soon, as one of the most popular mobile applications in the U.S. was revealed to be slated to double-down on its in-house Bitcoin offering. Some have even argued that the integration could single-handedly propel this industry to new heights.
In the past two weeks, Jack Dorsey, the chief executive of both Twitter and Square, has risen to monumental status in the cryptosphere. While he made brief comments about his enamorment with Bitcoin in early-2018, he went full evangelist in early-February, as he extensively touted the merits of an Internet-centric decentralized currency. On Joe Rogan’s Youtube podcast, the Silicon Valley guru claimed that the battle-tested Bitcoin could easily become the native currency of the entire Internet ecosystem.
He expressed a similar sentiment on Twitter. In fact, Dorsey made over 100 tweets regarding cryptocurrencies in a rant-esque fashion. Per previous reports from this outlet, the Bay Area native mentioned that Bitcoin is resilient, principled, native to the ideals of the Internet, and a great brand, in spite of cynics’ cries.
While this was jaw-dropping in and of itself, Dorsey made mention of his advocacy for the Lightning Network. In response to a tweet that outlined an idealistic system where people can tip satoshis for tweets (enabled via Lightning), the American entrepreneur noted that he “loves the idea.”
This one-liner, while innocuous in practically any other context, quickly catalyzed rumors that Dorsey’s Square, a fintech company with a higher valuation that Twitter, was hard at work on incorporating Lightning into its services.
Just days later, he took to Bitcoin bull Stephan Livera’s podcast to confirm these rumors. During the podcast, which also saw Lightning Labs chief executive Elizabeth Stark make an appearance, the Twitter CEO explained that Square’s integration of the scaling protocol is a matter of “when,” not “if.” Speaking on the rationale of eventually making such a move, Dorsey explained that his firm’s raison d’etre is to serve customers best, with Lightning only accentuating this goal.
He added that Square sees Bitcoin’s underlying nature as a currency, rather than solely a speculative asset. And as it stands, the widespread adoption of the Lightning Network is the most promising means to get to that end.