bitcoin

> **Lightning is the common language of Bitcoin** ⚡
> New subnetworks are emerging to offer different last-mile solutions, and Breez is where it all comes together. 50+ partners already use the Breez SDK to move value with Lightning.
> ***But which implementation is best for you?***
> In his latest post, @roy breaks down the advantages of the [Spark](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) and [Liquid](https://sdk-doc-liquid.breez.technology/) implementations.

***

# Spark or Liquid? You Can’t Go Wrong with the Breez SDK

Fettucini or udon? Ramen or vermicelli? Many choices in life are between two things that are both great but just different enough to present a dilemma.

The [Breez SDK — Nodeless](https://breez.technology/sdk/) also has two flavors, and they’re both delicious. Choosing between the Spark and Liquid implementations of the Breez SDK is a developer’s dream dilemma. We released [the Liquid implementation](https://blog.breez.technology/to-help-bitcoin-flow-were-adding-some-liquid-to-the-breez-sdk-b56c14b0c9b0) of the Breez SDK last year. [The Spark implementation](https://blog.breez.technology/breez-spark-a-new-way-to-build-on-bitcoin-5abc3fb515cb) went into public beta a few weeks ago. Both are attracting attention and adoption, as the [most recent cohort](https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-class-of-q3-2025-565356ef4335) of SDK partners shows, so both have proven themselves in solving real-world problems.

# **Many Implementations; Lightning is the Goal**

Thanks to new last-mile technologies, like Ark, Fedimint, Cashu, Liquid, and Spark, bitcoin is finally coming into its own as a medium of exchange. And Lightning is what’s making this evolution possible. As [the common language of Bitcoin](https://blog.breez.technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11), Lightning is what lets all these new technologies talk to each other and to the Bitcoin mainnet.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*7RKDKyg4eJmcFW0hyQCuZw.png)

New last mile technologies are helping bitcoin thrive as a MoE.

This growth is entirely positive, and we support it. Breez has been in the Lightning business since the beginning, and fostering its utility and spread as the common language of Bitcoin is the purpose of all our SDK implementations. We [once dreamt of UX improvements](https://blog.breez.technology/lightning-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-overcoming-bitcoins-ux-challenges-5738171c759e) like Lightning addresses and LNURL protocol support on top of basic functions like sending and receiving payments and on-chain interoperability. Our SDK implementations r̵e̵a̵l̵i̵z̵e̵ exceed these dreams and bring them within the grasp of all developers. They turn yesterday’s fantasy into today’s reality.

Breez has already released three SDK implementations: two Nodeless implementations based on [Liquid](https://sdk-doc-liquid.breez.technology/) and [Spark](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) as well as a Native implementation based on Greenlight. But our laboratory never closes, and our roadmap includes further implementations to leverage other subnetworks and their specific utility profiles. And though we have since deprecated our Native Greenlight implementation, we’re actively working on a replacement based on [LDK](https://lightningdevkit.org/). If there’s a way to improve the Bitcoin UX with Lightning, we’re probably working on it or we’ve already built it.

Still, as the field of subnetworks and SDK implementations expands, developers are faced with the dilemma of what to choose. We added a Spark implementation because it offers different advantages and tradeoffs than our Liquid implementation. But our Liquid implementation is live and beloved because it remains the right fit for many use cases.

So our goal here is to give developers a sense of each implementation’s strengths and help them answer the question they’re asking themselves (and frequently ask us): *which Breez SDK implementation should I choose — Spark or Liquid?*

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*AbAtU-OG-2BPxtkwRdTg-w.png)

Both flavors of our SDK offer a “Michelin star” experience. [[Image: ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/)]

# **Spark: State(chain)-of-the-Art**

Spark, a new Bitcoin L2 introduced by [Lightspark](https://www.lightspark.com/), lets developers move bitcoin and stablecoins instantly and at low cost. Spark lets multiple users share a common UTXO managed by a group of operators called a Spark Entity. When you join a Spark, you deposit funds into a jointly controlled address and pre-sign a withdrawal so you can always unilaterally exit. Each payment updates the shared state with a new pre-signed transaction, creating a branching history of ownership where each finalized state is a “leaf.” Old keys are deleted after every update, ensuring only the latest state is valid. This setup enables trust-minimized, off-chain payments without changing the base UTXO. However, the [trust assumptions](https://docs.spark.money/learn/trust-model) it introduces are different from the Lightning Network.

### **Native L2**

Spark keeps bitcoin as bitcoin. Unlike Liquid, which converts BTC into a wrapped form known as L-BTC, Spark transfers the native asset directly within its statechain, preserving bitcoin’s on-chain integrity while enabling off-chain scalability.

### **No Minimum Amount**

Spark has no minimum transaction amount, making it ideal for low-value, high-volume activity such as nostr zaps. This distinguishes Spark from networks like Liquid, which impose a minimum transaction fee (currently 0.1 sats/vByte) to mitigate DoS attacks, which is a design choice that limits support for the smallest micropayments.

### **Unilateral Exits**

When joining a Spark Entity, users pre-sign an exit transaction that lets them unilaterally withdraw their funds on-chain at any time without requiring permission from the Spark Entity. While the cost to exit depends on factors like the transaction history and current on-chain fees, this capability is crucial for ensuring users can always reclaim their bitcoin independently.

### **Instant Settlement**

Spark’s statechain design doesn’t rely on block confirmations, so transfers settle as soon as they’re executed. By contrast, networks like Liquid require transactions to be included in a block, which typically occurs every minute under normal conditions.

### **Offline Receive**

One longstanding UX obstacle in Lightning is that the recipient needs to be online to claim their funds. There are workarounds using mobile notifications (which we’ve introduced as part of our Liquid implementation) to wake apps, but a workaround is always just a workaround.

[Become a member](https://miro.medium.com/v2/da:true/39309aa989a0b10efa2291d777f51465d571981b6b92231e51a0846a592cb403)

Spark shines with a means for recipients to [receive funds when they’re offline](https://docs.spark.money/learn/lightning), and it does so without jury-rigging notifications or gumming up the network’s liquidity with payments frozen in transit. It’s a UX improvement for users and operators alike.

### **Stablecoins & Tokens via BTKN**

Spark supports [BTKN](https://docs.spark.money/learn/tokens/hello-btkn), a token protocol based on [LRC-20](https://github.com/akitamiabtc/lrc-20), enabling users to issue, trade, and transfer stablecoins and other digital assets directly on the Spark network. This integration extends Spark’s utility beyond bitcoin payments, allowing seamless movement of different asset types while maintaining the same trust-minimized and self-custodial design.

Although the Breez Spark SDK is still in public beta, several apps have already adopted it for a diverse spectrum of use cases. It’s new, but it’s not untested, and we’re excited to see what new applications devs might come up with. If you have any questions, we have [more documentation available](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/), and we’re always ready to [answer questions](https://breez.technology/sdk/) and learn with you.

# **Liquid: Privacy with a Side(chain) of Bitcoin**

Unlike Spark’s tree-structured statechain, Liquid is a sidechain — a separate network that runs its own blockchain. It’s operated by a federation of functionaries who take turns proposing and signing blocks and managing the peg between BTC and its sidechain asset, L-BTC.

Although Liquid uses a wrapped form of bitcoin, its integration with Lightning is seamless. Through the Breez SDK, users can send and receive Lightning payments via submarine swaps between L-BTC and BTC, enabling fast, private, and cost-efficient transfers.

### **Confidential Transactions**

Privacy is one of Liquid’s biggest strengths. Through [Confidential Transactions](https://blog.liquid.net/guide-to-confidential-transactions/), the amounts and types of assets being transferred are hidden from everyone except the sender and receiver. This ensures strong financial privacy while maintaining verifiable transaction integrity. The privacy Liquid offers surpasses many other crypto solutions as well as virtually anything fiat and conventional fintech can offer.

### **Native USDT**

Beyond L-BTC, Liquid also offers native USDT support (issued by Tether). Just as the intersection between Liquid and Lightning is seamless, the Breez SDK performs seamless atomic swaps between USDT and L-BTC to make all assets on Liquid feel at home. Liquid also facilitates the creation of [new assets and tokens](https://docs.liquid.net/docs/liquid-features-and-benefits#asset-issuance-on-liquid), which could recommend it for remittance apps, in-game currencies, reward points, and attested assets.

### **BOLT 12 & BIP 353 Functionality**

The Breez SDK also makes Liquid compatible with new and useful Bitcoin innovations, like [BIP 353](https://bitcoin.design/guide/how-it-works/human-readable-addresses/) and [BOLT 12](https://bolt12.org/). Together, these innovations deliver a broad array of improvements from human-readable addresses and reusable payment requests to hidden IP addresses.

For more information, check out our [extensive documentation](https://sdk-doc-liquid.breez.technology/). If you want to take our Liquid implementation for a test drive, [try Misty Breez](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.breez.misty&pcampaignid=web_share), our reference app to show just how beautifully Liquid flows.

# **The Only Wrong Choice Is Waiting**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*AYHeuoDYhGTjsDneXkYJyg.jpeg)

Photo by [Vladislav Babienko](https://unsplash.com/@garri?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) [Image: [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/man-standing-in-the-middle-of-woods-KTpSVEcU0XU)]

As anyone who bought bitcoin last decade will tell you, bitcoiners love adopting early and enjoying first-mover advantages. Bitcoin is a young technology, and it’s changing the world. Lightning is younger, and it’s changing Bitcoin. Spark and Liquid are even younger, and they’re finally turning bitcoin into the peer-to-peer electronic cash the world has been waiting for.

Both of these technologies are strong candidates. Many apps would succeed with either one, though others might benefit from the particular advantages of one option or the other.

So, whether you choose Spark for its instant settlements and offline capabilities or Liquid for its privacy, the best move is to start building now because the future belongs to the devs who don’t wait for tomorrow.

Spark or Liquid? Building with the Breez SDK ⚡️

lightning

# 

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mx3l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa55c3c8c-3401-423d-8630-4333118ca994_1600x900.gif)

From global builders answering the call to new apps going live with Nodeless on Spark, it’s been another packed month for Breez. Developers are building, partners are shipping, and even AI is getting in on the action. Here’s what’s new in the world of Breez:

- ⚡️ The World’s Building
- 🇪🇺 Bringin’ Bitcoin to Europe
- 🤖 AI Agents are Bitcoiners
- 🔥 SatGo Goes Nodeless
- 🌍 Breez Around the World

## **The World’s Building ⚡️**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u_0B!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e78bf0d-8bcd-4b3a-846a-3dffc31d01f4_3219x1811.jpeg)

We’ve been shouting it from the rooftops: [**it’s time to build**](https://www.time2build.dev/).

In case you’ve been off the grid, here’s the rundown. We launched [**</time2build>**](https://www.time2build.dev/) — a global developer challenge to bring bitcoin to existing open-source apps using the [**Breez SDK**](https://breez.technology/sdk).

Thanks to the support of our sponsors and bitcoin communities, the challenge has spread like wildfire across the globe. From Sofia to Hong Kong, Taipei to Kampala, Lusaka to Lugano, Tokyo to Amsterdam, builders everywhere are getting involved. India, Mexico, and beyond have also joined in — with the UK, El Salvador, Brazil, and South Korea up next.

If you’re a builder, now’s the moment. Jump in, build something that lasts, and help bring the utility of bitcoin to millions.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JYpl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F296672f8-73db-456f-9742-3b3b57abd650_1000x1000.gif)

---

## **Bringin’ Bitcoin to Europe 🇪🇺**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K-KU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7f61da-feaa-4574-8664-8d65fac464e5_400x225.gif)

For Europeans looking to live on bitcoin, life just got a *little* easier. [**Bringin**](https://bringin.xyz/) has officially launched, helping anyone buy, sell, and spend their bitcoin.

We sat down with their founder, [Prashanth Chandrashekar](https://bringin.xyz/), who explained how the idea for the company came from experience when he moved from India to Estonia. He was paid in BTC but waited days to access euros. Holding bitcoin was easy. Using it wasn’t. So he built a way to change it.

After 18 months in beta, Bringin is now live, helping users pay rent, bills, and move value across borders. The European-based app is the latest to go nodeless with the [**Breez SDK**](https://breez.technology/sdk). No nodes, no channels, no liquidity headaches. Just an effortless integration for developers and a world-class experience for users.

*Bringin(g) bitcoin to every app* ⚡️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKV64qS8CO0

---

## **AI Agents Are Bitcoiners Too 🤖**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uxMM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7111be41-24e8-4100-bd3b-e062c997fb22_1280x720.png)

AI just got a way to speak Lightning. The new [**Breez MCP Server**](https://github.com/breez/breez-mcp) lets developers plug the [**Breez SDK – Nodeless**](https://breez.technology/sdk) into AI tools, built with our latest [Spark implementation](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/).

It means AI agents can now create invoices, send sats, fetch wallet data, and more with Lightning.

Another step toward making value move as easily as information, check it out on [**GitHub**](https://github.com/breez/breez-mcp).

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GTD3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F114ec0aa-df4d-4410-93ec-3f803e998bc7_910x1280.jpeg)

---

## **Ready, SatGo! 🚦**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nGUU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34792783-e549-4532-ae1b-7240b87ef2bb_220x159.gif)

Our newest Nodeless SDK is already out in the wild — and builders are *loving* it.

[**SatGo**](https://satgo.io/) is the [first partner live in production using the Spark implementation](https://x.com/roy_breez/status/1981469421961924863), showing how fast builders can go from idea to launch with the Breez SDK.

Check them out and see our latest SDK implementation in action.

https://x.com/SatGoBTC/status/1981364447055655215

---

## **Breez Around the World 🌍**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!xlo9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd6e6b02e-85dc-4682-ad89-230a8e7099ca_498x278.gif)

It’s been a *busy* month.

Alongside the [**global meetups for </time2build>**](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1978106473772122294/), our team has been on the road (and in the skies) spreading the good word of Bitcoin. First stop: Los Angeles. We kicked things off at [**Lightspark’s Sync**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLZTGMSGcXE), connecting with builders and innovators from across the tech world.

![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f1V1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65868ae5-a619-4d28-a27e-cfaf4f17d768_1900x1069.jpeg)
Panel: [Lightning is the common language of the Bitcoin economy.](https://rumble.com/v70mlfs-wagmi-stage-lugano-plan-forum-2025-live-from-lugano-.html?start=28883)


From there, Roy headed to Lugano for the [**Plan ₿ Forum**](https://planb.lugano.ch/planb-forum/), hosting an [in-person builder meetup](https://planbweek.com/) for **</time2build>** and joining panels at **Bitcoin Suisse**, **Arkade Day**, and the main event itself. There, he shared [how Lightning is becoming the common language of the Bitcoin economy](https://rumble.com/v70mlfs-wagmi-stage-lugano-plan-forum-2025-live-from-lugano-.html?start=28883) and later [joined Stephan Livera](https://rumble.com/v70mts4-day-1-stephan-livera-hosts-plan-b-podcast-in-lugano.html) to discuss what’s next for Breez.

![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YJis!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F45ddd06e-640e-4807-9fc2-1e0f96d5b38b_2631x1973.jpeg)
Interview: [Stephan Livera LIVE](https://rumble.com/v70mts4-day-1-stephan-livera-hosts-plan-b-podcast-in-lugano.html)


Finally, Danny from the Breez team sat down with Rob Clarkson, CTO of [**Lightning Pay**](https://lightningpay.nz/), to talk with the co-founder about how the company is bringing bitcoin to Kiwis — with Lightning powered by the [**Breez SDK**](https://breez.technology/sdk), of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjkuZXbmkbc

---

[That’s all for this month, folks.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qz1GMpOtUY)

Until then, remember: [*the best time to get into Lightning is now*](https://breez.technology/sdk/) — it always has been.

See y’all next time ✌️

#013 Feel the Breez: </time2build>, Bitcoin in EU & AI Agents are Bitcoiners ⚡️

Breez MCP for AI agents ⚡️

# Helping Kiwis live on Bitcoin 🇳🇿⚡️

We sat down with Rob Clarkson, Co-founder and CTO of [Lightning Pay](https://lightningpay.nz/), to talk about how their team has built the best set of tools for stacking, saving, and spending Bitcoin across New Zealand.

## Simple Beginnings

Lightning Pay started with a simple goal: increase Bitcoin adoption across Aotearoa. What began as a way to help merchants accept BTC quickly grew into a platform where anyone can buy, sell, and spend Bitcoin directly from their bank — with full self-custody.

## Unleashing the Kiwi Spirit

Rooted in New Zealand’s “*number 8 wire*” spirit of innovation, Rob explains how Lightning Pay is helping Kiwis protect their wealth: Bitcoin only, no distractions. Their agile team is bringing together all the financial tools Kiwis need to stack, save, and spend in one place.

## Going Nodeless with Breez

When it came to adding Lightning, Lightning Pay went [nodeless with the Breez SDK](https://breez.technology/sdk), calling it a developer’s dream. It removed the complexity of running nodes, managing channels, and handling liquidity, allowing the team to focus on building the best user experience and growing adoption across New Zealand.

Here’s Rob’s story 🎧

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjkuZXbmkbc

**To see more conversations with builders in Bitcoin, make sure to subscribe to the Breez channel.**

How Lightning Pay are Bringing Lightning to New Zealand 🇳🇿 🎥

https://youtu.be/oKV64qS8CO0

***

## Helping anyone in the world move value with Lightning ⚡️

We sat down with [Prashanth](https://x.com/prashanthc123), Founder & CEO of [Bringin](https://bringin.xyz/), to talk about how they’re making Bitcoin usable in everyday life.

Bringin’s goal is simple: help people live on Bitcoin. Buy and sell from any wallet, spend even when a merchant doesn’t accept BTC, and send or receive value anywhere in the world.

### Like most products, the idea was born from a problem. 

When Prashanth moved from India to Estonia, he was paid in BTC but waited days (sometimes weeks) to access euros while banks made the whole process a nightmare. For Prashanth, holding Bitcoin was easy. Using it? *Not so much*.

### It was from that frustration that the spark for Bringin was born.

They’ve spent the last 18 months focused on building the best experience for users in beta, and have now gone public, helping Bitcoiners across Europe use Bitcoin the way they want to: from paying rent and bills to moving value across borders.

### And to deliver the best UX with an effortless developer experience, Bringin went nodeless with the [Breez SDK](https://breez.technology/sdk).

The whole build took just “*two to three weeks*,” avoiding the headaches of building on Lightning. No node setup, no channel management, no liquidity issues. Just value moving freely from one person to the next, leaving the Bringin team free to focus on building for real-world adoption.

Here’s Prashanth’s story 🎧




Bringin' Bitcoin to Europe | Conversation with Prashanth of Bringin ⚡️🎙️

Music

Zelda's Fairy Fountain meets Crystal Waters

bitcoingraffiti

Happy Friday folks!

Breez's monthly newsletter just dropped. 

This month is jam-packed with updates.

If you're enjoy it, make sure you subscribe to get it straight to your inbox: https://newsletter.breez.technology/p/012-feel-the-breez


***

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nNTw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F77cbdcc6-e2e6-47cb-b94e-920695289717_1600x900.gif

From launching a global developer challenge to releasing a new SDK implementation, to new apps and partners, we’ve kicked off autumn with a bang (or a flash, if we’re talking Lightning). Here’s what’s new in the world of Breez:

- 🔑 The Utility of Bitcoin
- ⚡️ It’s Time to Build
- 🎓 Class of Q3
- 🔥 Nodeless on Spark Goes Public
- 🌳 It’s Klever to Add Swaps
- 📰 Breez in the News

---

## **The Utility of Bitcoin? Moving Value Like Information ⚡️**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UhSm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F530a354d-9e7d-4b2e-bf95-8b4f8cf647d9_1280x800.png)

Last month, Roy was busy putting words to what we’ve all been feeling.

Yes, we all know Bitcoin is the best asset. But there is a bigger opportunity, one that can transform our lives just like the internet has done for billions around the world.

In his latest piece, published on Bitcoin Magazine, [*The Utility of Bitcoin: Moving Value Like Information*](https://blog.breez.technology/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information-2513eae84676), Roy explains how Bitcoin’s real innovation is not payments but **value transfer**, the ability to move value directly, freely, and without intermediaries. Just as the internet made information flow, Bitcoin is doing the same for value.

He describes how fintech and stablecoins still depend on permissioned systems, while Bitcoin, Lightning, and a growing ecosystem of subnetworks such as Spark, Ark, Liquid, and Fedimint are together enabling a new era of peer-to-peer value transfer.

It is a deep dive into how Bitcoin’s utility is redefining how value moves online and how apps are becoming the engines of that change.

If you read one thing this week, make it this one: [The Utility of Bitcoin: Moving Value Like Information](https://blog.breez.technology/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information-2513eae84676).

---

## **It’s Time to Build on Bitcoin ⚡️**

https://storage.googleapis.com/geyser-projects-media/grants/round-016/time2build.webp

This week the world stepped up to answer the call as we launched [</time2build>](https://www.time2build.dev/), a global developer challenge to bring bitcoin to the open-source apps used by millions.

Together with our friends at [Tether](https://tether.io/), [Lightspark](https://www.lightspark.com/), [Plan ₿ Network](https://planb.network/en), [Fulgur Ventures](https://fulgur.ventures/), [Draper University](https://draperuniversity.com/), [Pleb Lab](https://www.pleblab.dev/), and [Geyser](https://geyser.fund/grants), we are inviting developers everywhere to help move value like information and build the next era of our online lives.

From Lagos to London, and Buenos Aires to Tokyo, more than **50 communities** have joined the global grassroots movement, sharing the challenge with members and hosting in-person meetups.

And a quick reminder: this is not a hackathon or a bounty. It is an ambitious experiment to accelerate bitcoin adoption in the apps we use every day, rewarding only merged code and the developers who work hand in hand with project maintainers.

So why now? [Lightning is becoming the common language of the Bitcoin economy](https://medium.com/breez-technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11). Subnetworks are growing. And the tools are finally ready, with the [Breez SDK – Nodeless](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) making it simple for any developer to add bitcoin to their app.

Stay tuned as we spotlight submissions, partners, communities, and some seriously awesome projects in the weeks ahead. So whether you are merging code, mentoring devs, or just cheering them on...

***It’s time to build*** ⚡️

---

## **It’s Graduation: Welcome Class of Q3 🎓**

https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*LcJ8HBQNFuI_hrZprGWeZg.jpeg

As Q3 comes to a close, we’re welcoming a new class of bitcoin-powered apps built with the Breez SDK. This cohort marks a series of milestones worth celebrating.

[SwapSo](https://www.swapso.io/), a bitcoin super app built in India, went live just **five days** after downloading the Breez SDK. Yes, ***FIVE DAYS***. That’s how quickly builders can go from idea to production with Breez.

Meanwhile, [Bitnob](https://bitnob.com/), [Open Wallet](https://www.openwallet.com/), and [SatGo](https://satgo.io/) became the first partners to integrate with the newest [Spark implementation of the Breez SDK](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/), making it faster and simpler than ever to add bitcoin to any app.

Honestly, this class has it all: AI assistants charging by the second, family apps teaching kids to stack sats, and chat platforms turning conversations into payments. It shows the full range of what’s possible with the Breez SDK.

So without further ado, meet the [Breez SDK Class of Q3 2025](https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-class-of-q3-2025-565356ef4335): [AvatarTalk.ai](https://avatartalk.ai/), [Bitnob](https://bitnob.com/), [BTCBitByBit](https://launch.btcbitbybit.com/), [EvoMone](https://www.evomone.com/), [Open Wallet](https://www.openwallet.com/), [RETI](https://reti.tech/), [SatGo](https://satgo.io/), [SatSails](https://www.satsails.com/), [SwapSo](https://www.swapso.io/), and [ZapLN Bot](https://github.com/musa-42/Zap_lnbot).

What’s next? Well, the next class is already forming and builders everywhere are making value move like information ⚡️

---

## **Nodeless on Spark Goes Public 🔥**

https://breez.technology/breez_spark.png

The wait is over. The **Breez SDK – Nodeless ([Spark implementation](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/))** is now open to everyone.

This marks a new chapter for builders everywhere. With our Nodeless SDK, developers can bring bitcoin to any app effortlessly, without the headaches of running a node, managing channels, or paying setup fees.

For anyone who missed the memo, **Spark** is a Bitcoin-native Layer 2 built for speed, scale, and simplicity. It powers real-time, low-fee, self-custodial payments and supports Bitcoin-native assets such as stablecoins. And we’re bullish.

Whether you are building a wallet, a social app, or an entirely new kind of product, the **Breez SDK – Nodeless** gives you the freedom to build with bitcoin in just a few lines of code.

What are you waiting for? [**Add bitcoin to your app today**](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) ⚡️

---

## **Lightning in the Wild (Again)⚡️**

https://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/6e9267ee-a57c-4d36-a6f7-ab3c921e2edc/unknown-3.png

Spotted ***again*** in the Bitcoin rainforest: the Brazilian-born [**Klever Wallet**](https://klever.io/) just expanded its Lightning superpowers.

Earlier this year they added Lightning to their wallet, and now it powers their swaps, bringing instant, low-cost, and secure bitcoin swaps straight to users — another reminder of how flexible the Breez SDK can be.

This herd is growing fast, keep your eyes peeled for the next sighting 🔭

---

## **Breez in the News 📰**

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hu2s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2805595-d746-4d22-a752-86b0586ae790_220x147.gif

It’s been another busy month for Breez. The </time2build> launch had people talking, with features in [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/breez-lightspark-and-tether-launch-time2build-global-hackathon-with-25k-in-prizes-to-boost-open-source-bitcoin-integrations), [Cointelegraph](https://cointelegraph.com/news/breez-and-partners-launch-time2build-to-incentivize-bitcoin-integration), [Lightning News](https://t.co/LpBApnTqsS), and Atlas 21. Danny from the Breez team also joined [#CHAINREACTION](https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/1975563635394290070) with Robert Baggs and Gareth Jenkinson from Cointelegraph to unpack the challenge and what it means for builders.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5lCq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F473bb1ae-7f19-425b-8478-ea9f415bedce_800x672.png)

Roy has also been active on every front. In addition to publishing [*The Utility of Bitcoin: Moving Value Like Information*](https://blog.breez.technology/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information-2513eae84676) in Bitcoin Magazine, he released [a new piece](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/print/ark-and-spark-the-channel-factories-print) on channel factories, exploring how Ark and Spark revive the promise of channel factories, cementing Lightning’s central role in Bitcoin’s future. He also joined the [Mr. M Podcast](https://www.youtube.com/@MrMPodcast) to discuss Lightning and where AI could intersect with Bitcoin’s evolution, and spoke at [Infobip’s Shift](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1967633175389278450) in Croatia about life building a Bitcoin startup.

![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CSlM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe2997835-1ec3-43a9-8552-42d5f8f1510c_4096x2736.jpeg)

And it’s not just Roy. Breez’s very own Ivan Makedonski was featured in Bitcoin Magazine’s Lightning Issue with [*Lightning Strikes: The Value-for-Value Future of Money and Work*](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/print/lightning-strikes-future-value-for-value), exploring how Lightning will reshape how we earn, spend, and create value online.

---

[That’s all for this month, folks.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qz1GMpOtUY)

Until then, remember: [*the best time to get into Lightning is now*](https://breez.technology/sdk/) — it always has been.

See y’all next time ✌️

Feel the Breez ⚡️ : The Utility of Bitcoin, </time2build>, and more!

builders

Startup Day Yucatán presented by Yopaki - Day 1 ⚡️

Just as Carlos was about to do this thing! ⚡️

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTF3DxgWLGU

@Car was just on here for the </time2build> live presentation (think they had some minor technical issues but are going to be back shortly). 

Came for the Zelda reference, stayed for the tune 🤘

IT'S TIME TO BUILD - Breez launches global developer challenge ⚡️

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*gsyHUcIQyNtetu1_Kr9iDA.jpeg)

What time is it? It’s time to build.

**Introducing [</time2build>](https://www.time2build.dev/)**: a one-of-a-kind worldwide developer challenge to bring bitcoin into the open-source apps that we use every day.

Kicking off on October 7th, developers around the globe have the opportunity to display their skill and creativity by adding bitcoin to open-source apps using the [Breez SDK](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/). From November 16th, participants have a month to work with project maintainers to merge their code, making sure what they build actually ships. Successful projects will have the chance to share in the **$25,000** prize pool, with winners announced on January 8th, 2026.

</time2build> isn’t another hackathon or bounty. Hackathons end. Bounties disappear. The ambitious challenge is about planting open-source seeds in the soil of the applications that shape our lives. With open-source projects, we’re not just tweaking apps, we’re building a monetary layer that’s as open, global, and unstoppable as the internet itself.

# **Why Now?**

Builders have long recognized Bitcoin’s potential, but they lacked the tools. With Lightning, we have a common language to connect the formidable Bitcoin superhighway to the various last-mile technologies that amplify its utility, like Spark and Liquid. There’s no excuse anymore. The time to build is now.

And the timing couldn’t be better. As cash disappears, so do its benefits: instant settlement, peer-to-peer transfer, and permissionlessness. For years, Bitcoin promised to bring those virtues to the digital world, and now all the tools are finally in place to make freedom user-friendly. So stop asking if you can build with Bitcoin and start imagining what you will.

# **Why Open-Source?**

Open-source software already powers the internet and the tools we trust. Bitcoin is no exception. Being open-source is one of the ways Bitcoin maintains its openness, borderlessness, and sheer unstoppability.

By adding open-source value to open-source apps, we’re improving both. Open-source is how we pave the way to a new economy without walled gardens, free trillions in captive value, and make bitcoin as easy and ubiquitous as the Like-button.

# **What Can You Build? Anything.**

</time2build> is about much more than your uncle’s fintech. Think bigger. With the tools at our disposal, every app, every service, and every platform can move value as easily as information. That’s what you’re here to build.

We call on builders everywhere to build messaging apps that let users send sats like DMs, real-time tipping to content creators of all kinds, and social apps that let users raise funds and split bills with the ease of liking a post. You can build an app that responds to use cases we haven’t even imaged yet.

# **Who’s Building?**

Over 40 developer communities from Nigeria to Mexico, Argentina to Austria, Lugano to London are participating in the challenge. They are united by the same conviction: value should flow as freely as information. Together, they’re proving that bitcoin is no longer just something to hodl. It is something to build on, to build with, and to build for.

We’ve also joined forces with some of the biggest names in Bitcoin: [Tether](https://tether.io/), [Lightspark](https://www.lightspark.com/), [Plan ₿ Network](https://planb.network/), and [Fulgur Ventures](https://fulgur.ventures/). They are backing the challenge with a $25,000 prize pool, along with special residencies at the Austin accelerator [PlebLab](https://www.pleblab.dev/) and [Draper University](https://draperuniversity.com/). Project submissions will be reviewed by a panel of industry leaders and luminaries from around the world.

The era of building starts now. With builders. With open-source. With you.

**It’s Time2Build. You’re ready. [Click here to start proving it.](https://www.time2build.dev/)**

bitdevs

lightning++: day one livestream

niftynei9

Class of Q3: Breez announces 10 new partners ⚡️

Hi folks, Breez just announced 10 new partners to add bitcoin with the Breez SDK.

**Meet the Class of Q3** 🎓🎉: https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-class-of-q3-2025-565356ef4335

https://media1.tenor.com/m/QzI05KPsBcsAAAAC/snl-yeah.gif

***

# The Breez SDK: Class of Q3 2025

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*LcJ8HBQNFuI_hrZprGWeZg.jpeg)

It’s that time again. Leaves are starting to fall (in the northern hemisphere), buds are sprouting from fresh twigs (in the southern hemisphere), and you have to check the calendar at the equator. As this third quarter comes to a close, we’d like to introduce the next cohort of partners who’ve taken the intrepid step of adding bitcoin to their apps with [the Breez SDK](https://breez.technology/sdk/).

This cohort marks another milestone in the development of the SDK because three graduates — Bitnob, Open Wallet, and SatGo — have opted for the brand new [Spark implementation](https://blog.breez.technology/breez-spark-a-new-way-to-build-on-bitcoin-5abc3fb515cb), offering developers a quick, simple, secure means to add self-custodied bitcoin to their apps. And it gives users another great nodeless avenue to transfer value quickly, economically, and seamlessly, benefiting from bitcoin’s advantages without having to become experts in multisig whatevers.

And that’s not the only milestone. SwapSo, one of our proud graduates, **went live just five days (!) after downloading the SDK**. When we say that building with the Breez SDK is simple, we mean *simple*.

So to keep things lively, let us present the Breez SDK Class of Q3 2025 without further ado.

# **AvatarTalk.ai**

**Pay by the second for AI helpers with bitcoin**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*v9r1qZlZAMcv_jgurvAOTQ.jpeg)

Interacting with AIs has become part of everyday life (did an AI write this?). The flipside is that businesses need to think about how to leverage AI to help their customers and employees. [AvatarTalk.ai](http://avatartalk.ai/) lets them do just that with talking, animated avatars that can serve as customer service agents, personal assistants, testimonial speakers and more in 17 languages.

Perhaps the best part is the billing model, which forgoes monthly fees in favor of per-second charges, which is something conventional payment rails could never achieve. To revolutionize AI interactions and B2B billing models, [AvatarTalk.ai](http://avatartalk.ai/) had to build with the Breez SDK.

# **Bitnob**

**Financial freedom for business and everyday people in Africa**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*bh47jedkWY0j4T2SgO8VIQ.png)

Many in Africa struggle with unstable currencies or outright theft from their governments, which makes it hard to participate in global markets. [Bitnob](https://bitnob.com/) is building a financial everything app to give users in Africa and elsewhere financial freedom that anyone in the OECD would envy.

The range of Bitnob products extends from bitcoin-based value transfer and stablecoins to virtual cards that users can reload with USD and spend anywhere. They even have business solutions like treasury management. And they do it all with simple APIs. Bitcoin is the best part of Bitnob, and their self-custodial Lightning is powered by the Breez SDK.

# **BTCBitByBit™**

**Making bitcoin as much a part of family life as birthday parties**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*yBrycB67uA0v0_wmD11ptw.png)

Millennials were the generation that grew up with internet, Gen Z is the generation that’s grown up with smartphones, and Gen Alpha is growing with AI as part of the normal furniture of their world. With the help of [BTCBitByBit](https://launch.btcbitbybit.com/), bitcoin is going to be something the kids of today use and feel comfortable with from the time they can tie their shoes.

BTCBitByBit lets families organize chores and lessons with built-in bitcoin rewards, teaching kids about monetary freedom and stacking sats. It offers a gamified structure and stratified custody, from supervised to self-custody. Just as BTCBitByBit is building bitcoin for families, we’re proud to welcome them to our Breez SDK family.

# **EvoMone**

**Bitcoin value transfer in its simplest form: chat**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*56CRx36tti-NEQXTSIRg8Q.png)

We’ve talked recently about how bitcoin lets people attach [value to their messages](https://blog.breez.technology/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information-2513eae84676) in messaging apps, but it might be hard to imagine how cool this capability could be in practice. EvoMone demonstrates it. Beautifully.

EvoMone is a chat app, based on the Signal protocol, renowned for its privacy, that lets users send their sovereign bitcoin in a chat. It makes paying freelancers, monthly allowances to kids, and even retail payments as easy as 📈🚀🌛🥳. Why call when you can text? Why request an invoice when you can text pure value?

# **Open Wallet**

**A dead simple financial everything app**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*D661XJbiAhJAKVXKYLJnrA.png)

There are many great wallets out there. Indeed, that’s the problem. There are many great wallets out there, many are not so great, and anyone who stores and moves value in different forms — fiat, bitcoin, crypto, NFTs, DeFi, credit cards — is going to need several. [Open Wallet](https://www.openwallet.com/)’s mission is to simplify the process down to a single wallet that can do everything.

And that’s what Open Wallet does: everything. It will handle all your value media with minimal friction and low transaction fees. They even forego seed phrases in favor of an encrypted, recoverable password. Of course, bitcoin is the best value medium there is, and the Breez SDK is what makes it flow on Open Wallet.

# **RETI**

**Building your bitcoin portfolio through everyday purchases**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*PqcX-EHIFKfFy2lkNuuZ3A.png)

Delaying gratification is famously hard. Retirement is a distant prospect, but that shiny new ebike is now. [RETI](https://reti.tech/) is developing an app that builds bitcoin investment into every digital transaction, making sure that present you doesn’t neglect future you. It’s like a tithe to yourself.

The way RETI works is to monitor users’ bank accounts through an encryption that obscures the transactions even from RETI, but that allows the app to spend a portion of the transaction (defined by the user) to build the user’s bitcoin portfolio. The more you spend, the more you save. It’s in the code. And RETI donates 10% of their revenue each month to a good cause chosen by the users, so help RETI help the world by helping you.

# **SatGo**

**The bitcoin app for wizards and people who love them**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*rQ0PFB_fcrAVbflaJ_AU4g.png)

Many apps like to talk about the freedom of bitcoin; [SatGo](https://satgo.io/) is about freedom *in* bitcoin. The idea is to serve everyone who’s into ordinals, NFTs, and runes with a simple app that still covers all their trading, tracking, and buying needs.

SatGo makes it easier to monitor, acquire, store, and trade ordinals and rare sats, and to mint and trade runes. To elevate that experience, SatGo went nodeless with the Breez SDK, using the Spark implementation to support bitcoin-native assets and enable seamless BTKN trading.

# **SatSails**

**Brazil-ifying bitcoin and stablecoins for everyone**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*jx_d647BhG0CI1Xinh1zmg.jpeg)

Although bitcoin is a *global*, electronic, peer-to-peer currency, the transition to a bitcoin economy is going to take some regionalization. The team behind [SatSails](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.satsails.Satsails&hl=en_US) are Bitcoin specialists focusing on helping Brazilians acquire and move bitcoin and stablecoins in a single app.

Their USP is their selection of currencies: bitcoin (natch), Liquid, USDT, and dePIX. The latter is a stablecoin pegged to the Brazilian real. Beyond its own utility, it smoothes transitions between currencies for Brazilian users. Think globally, develop apps locally.

# **SwapSo**

**A bitcoin super app designed in and for India**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*04dawWJr-fDXqwJdsPKIiw.jpeg)

India has a few unique features. It’s a huge country, they have their own bank transfer system (UPI), and just the number of tech workers in India is roughly equal to the entire population of Norway. Sure, bitcoin works everywhere, but it works best when implemented by people who understand the local market.

[SwapSo](https://www.swapso.io/) is a “Bitcoin super app in the making,” designed by and for Indians. It features stratified levels of complexity to give bitcoin n00bs maximal ease and to give users with orange blood in their veins maximal control. SwapSo can be so flexible because they built it with the equally versatile Breez SDK. The team requested their API key on September 3rd and were in production on September 8th, which proves just how quickly developers can move with the Breez SDK.

# **ZapLN Bot**

**Zapping bitcoin right into your Telegram chats**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*Lodukd83izKoekyNTT0SvA.png)

Why leave Telegram when you can zap inside it? [ZapLN Bot](https://t.me/Zap_lnbot) puts self-custodial Lightning right where the action happens. Fire off payments, donations, and group zaps in seconds with as much configuration as a toothbrush. Wallets spin up automatically on first use, and internal transfers land in under two seconds.

The magic comes from the Breez SDK. Using the new Spark implementation, ZapLN Bot makes zero-fee transfers and group zaps feel less like payments and more like part of the conversation. And it’s all available anywhere Telegram runs.

Sharing @roy's latest piece for [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information).

***

# The Utility of Bitcoin: Moving Value Like Information

You’d be forgiven for thinking that technological development was following a predetermined trajectory. In the past few decades, we’ve seen the rise of personal computers, the internet, mobile devices, and now, the advent of Bitcoin.

It’s already well-established that bitcoin is the best asset. That’s just a matter of basic financial literacy. If you can read a graph, the evidence is obvious.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*D8iF3Tfuq7SQzl97KpKWdw.png)

Bitcoin vs Major Assets: ROI by Horizon (2015–2025)Source: CaseBitcoin & Market Data (2025) *[[Image: ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/)]*

What’s less obvious is Bitcoin’s utility, and how that is going to recast our economic lives in the coming decades. Beyond its properties as an asset, which are getting most of the attention and recognition, Bitcoin is a way to move value. That’s its core utility. And it’s not about buying coffee or underwear (at least not yet). Since it’s a currency designed on and for the internet, retail adoption will likely come *after* it goes mainstream online. And how it will go mainstream online is by commoditizing value transfer — letting anyone move value anywhere for any purpose without intermediaries.

Moving value is such a big part of our lives that expanding that realm of possibilities means changing our behavior and the shape of our societies. When it comes to moving value, borders will evaporate, colossal institutions like banks will shrivel, and new connections will sprout like blossoms in spring. The scale of the transformation will rival that of the internet itself.

Physical books were hard to obtain and easy to ban (and sometimes burn). The internet liberated information, giving far more people access to far more ideas than we had ever had before. Conventional money is locked in the walled gardens and preferred pathways of market incumbents. Bitcoin represents the end of this system and the beginning of another.

**The internet unlocked information; bitcoin is unlocking value.**

# **Payments ≠ Value Transfer**

To grasp the potential of the current transformation and to differentiate it from boilerplate pro-Bitcoin rhetoric, think of it as a shift from the fiat-based payment paradigm to the Bitcoin-based value-transfer paradigm. This sounds more abstract than it really is.

First, let’s recall the familiar: payments. Conventional **payments are instructions to clear a debt**, a definition [echoed](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfi.2008.09.001) by professional economists. If someone sells you a coffee or cuts your hair, you owe them, and you settle that debt by paying them. Note that, in practice, paying them requires instructing intermediaries — banks, apps, cards, middle men — to actually move the value.

Contrast that with value transfer. There are two key differences. First, as we conceptualize it, value transfer is direct. It’s not an instruction to an intermediary to perform an action; it’s the act itself. Second, value transfer need not settle a debt. Payment is a quid pro quo. Value transfer is just quid. You can send value at a whim; it doesn’t necessarily imply a trade, though it can.

Cash makes the differences between payments and value transfer readily apparent. When you pay someone in cash, you’re not asking permission. You are physically transferring value from one hand to another. And cash can do more than settle debts, i.e. more than payments. Dropping some change into a busker’s hat or giving your kid an allowance are simple transfers of value without prior debt. You can “push” value with cash rather than just trade it.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*D_Or3s-KwDx2bcUrVGRd4w.jpeg)

*Pushing value from one person to the next — the old school way. [[Image: ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/)]*

However, cash is [being marginalized](https://www.ecb.europa.eu/stats/ecb_surveys/space/html/ecb.space2024~19d46f0f17.ga.html) by the authorities and it’s poorly suited to our digital world, so we’re losing our ability to transfer value. We trust these third-party intermediaries, like banks, credit card companies, and fintech providers, to honor our payment instructions and fulfill our requests, but payment instructions are often denied or delayed.

More importantly, these payment instructions are limited to predefined patterns dictated by the intermediaries’ siloed structures (e.g. from customer to merchant, from employer to employee, from one bank account to another *if* the banks share a wire-transfer protocol). This might sound like an exaggeration, but consider platforms like Uber, OnlyFans, AirBnB, and Spotify. On the surface, they all look like decentralization: the platforms just connect service providers with consumers. But the payments all run along the platforms’ predefined paths, which include long chains of greedy intermediaries — banks, fintech apps, credit card companies. etc. Each of these intermediaries adds cost, a potential point of failure, and a source of permissioned friction, regulatory and otherwise.

The contrast to value transfer is stark. Simply put, value transfer distills the permissionlessness, instantaneousness, and flexibility of cash payments without the constraints of having to hold and move physical objects.

But how do we reimagine cash in a digital world? How do we move from the limitations of payments to the empowerment of value transfer? If only we had a way to send and receive peer-to-peer electronic cash…

Bitcoin is more programmable, more flexible, more adaptable than digital payments can be. Bitcoin lets us store and move value just as smoothly and easily as our phones store and share a snapshot. By treating value as just another kind of information, Bitcoin will enable new patterns of economic activity built on entire ecosystems of particular use cases.

And yes, it must be Bitcoin.

# **Only Bitcoin Can Facilitate Value Transfer**

Value transfer — moving value at will directly between sender and recipient — represents a momentous shift from the conventional payment paradigm. So why isn’t fintech making it happen? Isn’t this what stablecoins are for? Why is bitcoin the necessary foundation for an economy based on value transfer?

The short answer is that payments are deeply embedded in the architecture of the fiat system, including fintech.

A fintech payment involves an indefinite chain of intermediaries. For each intermediary to earn revenue from the transaction, they need a billing model. And they opt for discrete payments because that is what regulated money transmitters are allowed to do. Thanks to the KYC, AML, and risk assessment involved, it’s an expensive business, so their fees are commensurately high.

Beyond cost, intermediation necessarily introduces friction. Each intermediary is subject to regulatory constraints that vary across borders and jurisdictions, which limits their markets and their reach. They must also consider extraneous business concerns, like the risk of large clients in one sector revoking their business because of unrelated transactions in another sector. Moreover, these payments are no more programmable than the intermediaries allow, and they are neither final nor instantaneous. The intermediaries can process them at their leisure, and the payer can often rescind the payment after the fact.

Stablecoins, often touted as a solution, merely substitute one fiat-based promise for another. As MiCA and the GENIUS Act show, stablecoins are deeply vulnerable to currency controls. A given stablecoin might work for cross-border payments today, but not next quarter. USDT and nine other tokens were delisted from European exchanges at the beginning of 2025 in response to the new regulations. Stablecoins’ issuers are subject to the same extraneous concerns as fintech providers, and they are only as programmable as these central entities allow them to be. Stablecoins are just fiat beheld through blockchain-colored glasses. Indeed, stablecoins and fintech are digital lipstick on a legacy-payments pig.

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*kBgdbBoY8WbS_uUf8-Myyg.jpeg)

*Yes, stablecoins and fintech are digital lipstick on legacy-payments pig. [Image: [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/) &* [Mick Coulas](https://www.flickr.com/photos/empics/2846078511)*]*

Bitcoin succeeds where fintech and stablecoins fail. Where their costly intermediation requires payments, bitcoin enables value transfer. Where their operational constraints limit access and use cases, **Bitcoin is an open, decentralized, neutral monetary network that works for anyone, anywhere, anytime.** Where they attract regulatory scrutiny and become geopolitical pawns, Bitcoin offers a minimal regulatory footprint without a native jurisdiction. Where they limit programmability to protect established patterns and privileges, Bitcoin fosters innovation and the programmability that it requires.

If we could go back to the dawn of the internet and design a currency optimized for the digital age, it would look like bitcoin. It *is* bitcoin.

# **Bitcoin in Every App**

Apps are the vehicles of change. They are the nodes of our constant data streams, and they are the tools that alter how we work, how we move, how we love, and how we think. Apps define the digital environment to which we humans are adapting, and we build apps to adapt our environment to us. Value transfer is eclipsing payments, and apps are its conduits.

To understand how apps will integrate and foster value transfer, consider the evolution of the digital camera. The first “filmless” cameras hit the market in the mid-1970s, but for the first two decades, they were single-purpose devices. Even the cameras attached to early cell phones were “just” cameras. They took pictures, nothing more.

The revolution in what digital cameras can do and in our relation to them came in 2007 with the release of the first iPhone. It wasn’t just the camera itself but the combination of the camera with apps that changed everything. Developers quickly integrated the camera into their apps, enabling users to take, modify, and share photos.

The synergy of digital cameras and apps changed our reality and our behavior. Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Pokemon GO make behaviors that would have seemed deranged 20 years ago (e.g. photographing hamburgers, chasing invisible monsters through parks, choking oneself to the point of blacking out, etc.) mainstream, maybe even aspirational. We’re constantly capturing our lives and consuming others’ lives through the images we see in our apps, on our phones. Even Meta’s AI glasses are basically just a camera attached to an everything-app.

What bitcoin does is commoditize value transfer, making it as versatile and freely adaptable as the digital camera on a phone. Any developer working on any kind of app can integrate value transfer. Messaging apps can let users attach value to their messages. Social apps can let users raise funds and split bills with the ease of liking a post. Building a marketplace — like Uber, Spotify, AirBnB, OnlyFans — no longer requires millions of dollars and navigating a labyrinth of walled payment gardens; any dev can do it.

Payments require bankers and lawyers. Commoditized value transfer just needs Bitcoin and developers.

Bitcoin is maturing out of its adolescence. Specifically, Bitcoin needed Lightning to increase throughput and enhance interoperability. For its part, Lightning needed to find its place as [the common language for bitcoin](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy)-based value transfer.

But we’re there. A biome of distinct bitcoin subnetworks, including Spark, Ark, Liquid, Fedimint, Botanix, and Cashu has arisen, each with unique advantages. SDKs are now available that let any developer add value transfer to their apps. In terms of the digital camera analogy, it’s 2007, the iPhone has just hit the market, and developers are starting to play with the camera API.

It’s an opportune moment. The technology is ripe, but the market has yet to price the transformation in. Value is about to start moving like information. It’s late enough for solid projections of what’s about to happen and early enough to take advantage of the disruption. **The convergence of bitcoin-based value transfer and apps is as inevitable** **as it was to add a camera to a smartphone.**

# **Let’s Make Our Descendants Wonder How We Got By**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*EQM4RK0Adx_2A0kq_Mwnbw.png)

*When value moves like information, everything will change. [Image: [Google Gemini](https://gemini.google.com/)]*

Payments are the camcorders of our age, the next technology whose time has passed. The new age that is just beginning will feel qualitatively different, like the moment Dorothy steps out of her black-and-white world [into the vibrant colors of Oz](https://youtu.be/x6D8PAGelN8?t=37). **When value flows as freely as information, the economy changes, and society changes with it.** Borders matter less. Wealth and value flow like the breeze (pun intended). Global interactions across political and class barriers shift from exceptional to ordinary.

The components are all in place. Bitcoin is thriving, outstripping every other asset. Lightning allows any bitcoin endpoint to communicate with any other. Protocols now exist to serve a variety of uses and preferences. Developers are discovering SDKs that simplify the integration of bitcoin-based value transfer into their apps, and they’re learning from each other about new ways to apply and leverage value transfer, ways that will make their apps as indispensable as utilities like ChatGPT and Google Maps.

We’re living at the end of an age that our descendants will regard as primitive, like the age before electricity and running water. We’re also living at the beginning of an age that they will consider transformative, like the Renaissance or the birth of the internet. Let’s make them proud of all we’ve accomplished for them and astounded at how we ever got by without the tools we built.

The Utility of Bitcoin: Moving Value Like Information by Roy Sheinfeld

Breez announced that the [Nodeless on Spark public beta](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) is now **LIVE** ⚡️

You can start building by following the link to request an API key 👉  https://breez.technology/request-api-key/#contact-us-form-sdk

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Related to: https://stacker.news/items/1214247

Breez announces the Nodeless on Spark Public Beta is live ⚡️

@roy wrote this for Bitcoin Magazine's latest "Lightning Issue".

# Ark and Spark: The Channel Factories We’ve Been Waiting For
*Ark and Spark revolutionize Lightning Network’s scalability in 2025, slashing on-chain transactions with shared UTXOs for fast, cheap Bitcoin payments. Their interoperable, trust-minimized designs overcome channel factory hurdles, cementing Lightning’s role in Bitcoin’s layer-2 future.*

https://cdn-ileamcn.nitrocdn.com/BngESKHdyFjXuZbvyAhEMmtQtwLKSKkU/assets/images/optimized/rev-c3df002/bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Channel-Factories-Lightning-Print-1536x804.webp

Ark & Spark: The Channel Factories We've Been Waiting For ⚡️

#006: Shishir Gupta (Sorted) on Bringing Bitcoin to One Billion Devices

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1968323761226010699

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#### Bitcoin is for everyone (including $10 feature phones) 🌍⚡️

We sat down with Shishir Gupta, MD of [Sorted](https://sortedwallet.com/), to talk about bringing bitcoin to the devices billions already use every day.

#### For many, financial access is still broken.

Remittances drain income as sending money to family means fees, delays, and middlemen. And while the world obsesses over shiny new apps on their latest iPhones, there’s over a billion people still using feature phones and low-powered smartphones.

#### So Sorted decided to flip the script.

They’re bringing bitcoin to feature phones. Helping sats move as easy as sending a text. No speculation. No hype. Just real tools solving real problems. And the proof is already here: 250k+ downloads and backing from @Tether_to.

#### And with Breez’s support they’re pushing the mission further.

Feature phones don’t have the power, storage, or hardware to run Lightning. The Breez SDK changes this. No channels. No liquidity. No setup fees. Just bitcoin that works, even on the most limited devices.

Leaving Sorted free to do what they do best: build for everyday adoption.

Here’s Shishir's story 🎧

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fmNpnr7FMk

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