In a report launched this Wednesday, Constancy Digital Belongings in collaboration with Lightning cost supplier Voltage launched a report on the state of the Lightning Community.
The report particulars the numerous methods wherein the Lightning Community has grown since its launch in 2018.
It additionally illustrates how extra companies have begun incorporating Lightning in 2024 than any yr prior, that bigger channels are forming on the community and that extra Lightning nodes are coming on-line.
Some key stats from the piece embrace the next:
- Whole Lightning capability denominated in U.S. {dollars} has elevated by 2,767% since 2020
- Its bitcoin-denominated capability has grown by 384% in the identical interval
- At the moment, nearly all funds over Lightning under 1,000,000 sats processed in lower than 1.1 seconds
Whereas these stats made me optimistic, it was different info within the report that actually resonated with me and made me rethink how I view Bitcoin and Lightning.
Under have been prime three takeaways from the report:
- Lightning funds are gaining traction on Nostr (the world’s largest bitcoin round financial system), as Nostr customers have despatched over 3.6 million particular person zaps within the final six months
- Initiatives like ARK, one other Bitcoin Layer 2 protocol, illustrate that Lightning has use instances past simply peer-to-peer channels (ARK permits customers to share digital UTXOs (vUTXOs) with a bigger group as a substitute of on a one-to-one foundation) can may be constructed upon in methods many didn’t initially anticipate
- The “HODL” mentality is one the issues nonetheless slowing Lightning adoption; in different phrases, if Bitcoin fanatics don’t spend their bitcoin, Lightning progress might stagnate, which may damage Bitcoin’s worth proposition
So, as we’re right here at first of 2025, a yr that many assume shall be large for Lightning, I can’t assist however be optimistic to see what kind of traction Lightning positive aspects within the subsequent 10 months.
It’s excessive time bitcoin is used extra as a medium of alternate — the best way Satoshi meant for it to be.
This text is a Take. Opinions expressed are fully the creator’s and don’t essentially mirror these of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Journal.