bitcoin

# Deblock: Instant Bitcoin, at Scale
###  How Deblock Onboarded 300,000 Users to Frictionless Bitcoin Transfers

***

## Who's Deblock?

Though it started only in 2024, Deblock is already a sizable neobank with ambition and momentum. This should come as no surprise, as their C-Suite contains former executives from Revolut and Ledger. Their mission, as CEO Jean Meyer tells it, is simple: "We built Deblock because people shouldn't have to choose between the convenience of a bank and the sovereignty of crypto."

The banking side of the equation was largely in place. Deblock had already obtained the status of an electronic money institution (EMI) registered with the Banque de France and a MiCA license from the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). Their users enjoy current accounts, IBANs, debit cards, and all the trappings of modern banking.

Combining a modern neobank with a full bitcoin functionality and self-custody has obvious appeal, as their 300,000 active users attest. But the simplicity of the mission conceals a daunting challenge in the execution.

## The Challenge

Despite the regulatory hurdles of becoming a bank in Europe, the greater challenge for Deblock was on the bitcoin side. The bitcoin UX is one of the major impediments to its use as a medium of exchange. On-chain bitcoin transfers preserve self-custody, but they come with sometimes prohibitive costs and delays. Transfers directly over the Lightning Network are faster, but they come with a steeper learning curve, forcing users to consider the mechanics of invoices and the economics of payment channels. Custodial services can spare users complexity, but they come with incalculable counterparty risks and increasingly arduous regulatory barriers.

Deblock, however, was unwilling to compromise. About 50% of the assets their users hold are in bitcoin, so Deblock's bitcoin offering is existentially important to the enterprise. They insisted on providing their users with speed, economy, self-custody, and convenience simultaneously. It's a tall order, one bitcoin has been unable to deliver. Until now.

## The Solution

Deblock has chosen the Breez SDK to bring bitcoin transfers to their hundreds of thousands of users because it offers the self-custody, economy, speed, and convenience users want, the clever design and support developers need, and the scalability to grow as fast as they can add new users.

### For users:

**Speed:** With the Spark implementation of the Breez SDK, bitcoin transfers are effectively instantaneous. No block confirmation times, no routing failures.

**Economy:** Fees are infinitesimal. They're small enough to let developers build the tiniest microtransactions into their apps. Users can use bitcoin for everyday payments and reliably build their stacks with dollar-cost averaging.

**Self-custody:** Building on Spark's commitment to user sovereignty, the Breez SDK leaves users' funds in their own hands, which increases the range of peer-to-peer use cases while minimizing an app's regulatory footprint.

**Convenience:** With the Breez SDK, users get the speed and robustness of Lightning without the complexity of payment channels and routing nodes. Features that have eluded self-custodied Lightning, like offline payments, and those that custodial providers simply can't deliver, like instant settlement and negligible counterparty risk, are built in.

As Deblock CEO Jean Meyer put it, "With this integration, we can finally deliver both: buy or sell bitcoin in seconds, and it's yours the moment you do."

### For developers:

The Breez SDK is built by developers, for developers. It's why Deblock's lean team of one backend developer and two mobile developers were able to get the implementation ready for production within just a few weeks. Mario Eguiluz, Deblock's CTO, has nothing but praise for the Breez SDK and the developer experience. According to him, the Breez team is both "super responsive" and "very helpful." His advice to other developers who are thinking about adding bitcoin to their apps is unequivocal: "If you want to offer bitcoin to your users, Breez is the best partner. They're really helpful and understand the use case that you're building for."

### For growth:

The Breez SDK was able to absorb Deblock's 300,000 new users with the flick of a switch. And Deblock is just one of Breez's many partners, with more joining every month. Thriving without the liquidity bottlenecks that plague some other Lightning offerings, the Breez SDK can grow as fast as any partner.

In fact, Deblock is already considering features that they haven't been able to offer until now. For example, they now have the ability to offer cash-back bonuses in the form of bitcoin for purchases made with the debit card, which had been impossible until recently due to fees and complexity.

The benefits Deblock is reaping with the Breez SDK are ready for a range of other services to enjoy, including remittance apps, payroll platforms, apps that already contain bitcoin on- and offramps as well as bitcoin-ready retail. With the Breez SDK, bitcoin can scale indefinitely within companies, across industries, and throughout economies, one app at a time.

***

https://breez.technology/case-studies/deblock/

How a European Neobank Brought Bitcoin to 300,000+ Europeans 🇪🇺⚡️

lightning

Release: Breez SDK (Spark) 0.8.2 ⚡️

"finally made the bitcoin wallet I would have loved as a kid" 👾

Breez just announced Exolix as the latest app to add bitcoin .with the Breez SDK.


***

# Exolix: Instant Bitcoin Swaps with the Breez SDK

Exolix just became the latest partner to add instant, self-custodial bitcoin using the Breez SDK.

Exolix is a privacy-first swap aggregator supporting 1,800+ cryptocurrencies, for users who want speed, simplicity, and full control.

Until now, swapping bitcoin meant tradeoffs. On-chain delays. High fees.

With the Breez SDK's @spark implementation, those tradeoffs disappear.

* For Exolix users → Instant settlement. Low fees. Self-custodial.
* For the Exolix team → No channels to maintain. No liquidity to manage.  Simple to integrate.

Here's how it works: 

https://x.com/i/status/2019450787718422760

It's that simple.

Just bitcoin that moves at internet speed. Value moving like information.

And it's exactly why 100+ apps are already building with Breez.

Exolix went from zero to live in two weeks. You can too.

Join them → https://breez.technology/sdk

***

Exolix integrate with the Breez SDK ⚡️

Hi folks -- sharing Breez's January update. *Another busy month!*

👉 [Make sure to subscribe to get it straight to your inbox](https://newsletter.breez.technology/p/016-feel-the-breez) 👈


***

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kh7q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7efb5a7a-277c-433a-a987-2b71850e2c95_1600x900.gif

January didn’t hang around. From announcing our `</time2build>` winners to putting value transfer in the hands of 300,000 Europeans, it was another jam-packed month.

Here’s what’s new in the world of Breez:

- 🏦 → *300,000 More Bitcoiners*
- 🏆 → *Introducing Our </time2build> Winners*
- 🎓 → *ELI5: Spark*
- 🍹 → *Lightning in the Wild: Portal*
- 🎙️ → *Breez Around the World*

---

## **300,000 *~~Europeans~~* Bitcoiners 🏦**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KWYe!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30626db2-18f9-43f3-9573-1fff684c7eb7_1400x800.png)

European neobank [**Deblock**](https://deblock.com/) became the latest Breez SDK partner to go live, bringing instant, self-custodial bitcoin to **over 300,000 users across Europe**.

Self-custody isn’t a feature for Deblock. It’s the *foundation* of their product. By integrating bitcoin with the Breez SDK, their users can now:

- *Buy and sell bitcoin with euros, instantly*
- *Send and receive bitcoin in seconds*
- *Stay fully self-custodial*

No more delays. No more expensive fees. Just euros in, bitcoin out. In seconds.

Bitcoin in every app. ***Let’s go***.

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2011498858728354290

---

## **Introducing Our </time2build> Winners 🏆**


![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Xg1_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fec60d888-52f9-48c5-a0d0-12fd403ff7d0_1400x800.jpeg)

Back in October, we launched [**</time2build>**](https://www.time2build.dev/) with a simple idea: give developers the tools, and they’ll bring bitcoin to the apps people already use. Two months later, the results are in.

Builders from around the world delivered integrations across merchant tools, social platforms, game engines, forums, and more. Here are our winners:

### **$3,500 Prize Winners**

- **BTCPay Server** (Aljaz): *A plugin that makes bitcoin super simple for merchants worldwide.*
- **Evento** (Brianna, Andre, Aaliyah): *Value transfer built into a social events platform, proving value can move peer-to-peer in the moments that create it.*
- **Portal** (Alessandro, Gianluca, Gabriele, John): *Lightning integrated into a universal identity and payments protocol, making value transfer a native capability for any app built on top.*
- **Primal** (Daniel): *Self-custodial bitcoin brought to Primal’s web client, removing onboarding friction for Nostr users.*

### **$1,000 Prize Winners**

- *OBS Studio Donations Plugin, Backend for Nutshell Mints, SatsMobi, CDK Payment Processor, Godot Engine Breez Plugin, Umbraco Marketplace NuGet Package, Discourse Breez Tipping, and CTFd Bitcoin Rewards Plugin*.

### **Special Prizes**

- *Lib de Satoshi & B4OS (DraperU), Sparkihonne (PlebLab).*

The era of building has begun. Check out the [**full announcement here**](https://blog.breez.technology/time2build-meet-the-2025-winners-1d8b11501ad9).

---

## **Spark Explained Like You’re Five 🎓**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qlcm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feff696c7-5730-4a96-80a3-79f8d47cd32d_696x365.webp)

Eight years ago (*seriously, how?!*), Roy wrote [**Understanding Lightning Network Using an Abacus**](https://blog.breez.technology/understanding-lightning-network-using-an-abacus-daad8dc4cf4b) to demystify how Lightning worked. Lately, he’s been noticing similar questions around [**Spark**](https://spark.money/). So he’s taken the same approach again.

The result? [**Spark Explained Like You’re Five**](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/spark-explained-like-youre-five).

Published on [**Bitcoin Magazine**](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/spark-explained-like-youre-five), Roy uses a simple two-piece puzzle analogy to show how Spark works, from how ownership can change hands, to how trust is distributed across multiple operators.

If you want to learn how it all works under the hood, [**this is the place to start**](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/spark-explained-like-youre-five).

---

## **Lightning in the Wild: Portal 🍹**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JhB9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F159108ba-f301-4d75-9f84-ac035390ecb7_1152x648.gif)

This month’s *Lightning in the Wild* takes us to [**Portal**](https://getportal.cc/), one of our <[/time2build> winners](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2015795081635090632).

The Portal team didn’t just add Lightning to their app. They built it into the protocol itself. Any application built on Portal now inherits the ability to move value globally, with Lightning as the common language.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2016891665621938615

---

## **Breez Around the World 🎙️**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nbJ8!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2475193-a457-4158-8904-3df98af83d84_400x218.gif)

January saw the Breez team on stages, podcasts, and panels around the world.

First up: Roy was on stage in El Salvador at [**Plan ₿**](https://planb.sv/) where he broke down why value must move like information, why Bitcoin’s the only way to do this, and how AI means anyone can now add value transfer to any app. *Simple*.

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2017309141971128355

[**Roy also joined Guy Swann**](https://fountain.fm/episode/EpG58Rgz9cWjjLckHhD6) to discuss how Bitcoin has completely transformed over the last three years. They dove into why Lightning is the common language, what value transfer is, and how Breez’s newest implementation, [**Spark**](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/), works.

https://x.com/TheGuySwann/status/2011936433695547878

Meanwhile, [**Danny joined Stephan Livera**](https://stephanlivera.com/episode/714/), alongside `</time2build>` winners Aljaz (BTCPay Server) and Brianna ([**Evento**](https://evento.so/)), to discuss the challenge, building with [**the Breez SDK**](http://breez.technology/sdk), and why more developers are bringing bitcoin to everyday apps.

https://x.com/stephanlivera/status/2016494644734169375

---

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

Remember: [**the best time to add value transfer is now**](https://breez.technology/sdk/). It always has been.

See y’all next time ✌️

January at Breez ⚡️: Neobanks, Builders, and Spark (ELI5)

Bitcoin Wallet using Breez Spark SDK — ClawHub

Bitcoin Apps For Everyone with Danny Stagg, Aljaz, & Brianna | SLP714

Danny, Brianna, and Aljaz joined Stephan to discuss the results of  Breez’s ‘Time2Build’ challenge, the Breez SDK, and how developers can integrate Bitcoin & Lightning easily.

https://x.com/stephanlivera/status/2016494644734169375
https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2016546873683693854

Bitcoin Apps For Everyone | SLP714

Bitcoin Audible | Chat_157 - It's Time to Walk the Walk with Roy Sheinfeld

Time2Build: Meet the 2025 Winners ⚡️🏆

Everyone played their part. Thanks for all the support!!!

Announcement: https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2011827334840484031

***

# Time2Build: Meet the 2025 Winners

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*m0PE7zh5ksrIxbTbsByS6Q.jpeg)

There are two kinds of people in the world: the first kind talks about doing stuff and the second just does it. In October 2025, we bet on the latter.

We launched [</time2build>](https://www.time2build.dev/), our first global developer challenge, with the simple goal of putting bitcoin inside the open-source apps people already use.

This was not a hackathon nor a bounty. It was a challenge built for long-term impact with integrations that can keep delivering after users move on to whatever they build next.

And we had help too. More than [50 developer communities](http://time2build.dev/#communities) worldwide got involved, alongside partners like [Tether](https://tether.io/), [Lightspark](https://www.lightspark.com/), [Fulgur Ventures](https://fulgur.ventures/), [Plan ₿ Network](https://planb.network/), [PlebLab](https://www.pleblab.dev/), [Geyser](https://geyser.fund/grants/time2build), and [Draper University](https://draperuniversity.com/).

Builders came from everywhere, and what they delivered was much more powerful than a single “killer app;” it was a constellation of practical, clever, useful things. Plugins. Crypto wallets. Merchant tools. Tipping for streaming. Lightning tucked into places where it feels more like a sixth sense than just “payments.”

With that context in mind, here’s what we learned from the challenge.

# **What We Learned**

On the surface, the submissions couldn’t have looked more different. But when we took a step back and looked across everything that was built, a few clear patterns started to emerge. They are patterns that are important for any developer looking to build on Bitcoin today:

### **1. Lightning Is the Common Language**

We repeatedly saw Lightning paired with new emerging technologies like Nostr and Cashu.

These projects were not trying to reinvent how value moves inside each system. Nostr has its own social primitives. Cashu has its own model. What they needed was a shared way to move bitcoin between systems, users, and instances.

Lightning filled that role. As the [common language](https://blog.breez.technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11) for bitcoin, it allowed these new protocols and technologies to interoperate without changing how they work, giving developers the flexibility they need now, and the confidence that what they’re building won’t become obsolete tomorrow.

### **2. Plugins > Deep Integrations**

Many participants in the challenge avoided deep integrations. Instead, developers focused their efforts on building plugins that sit *alongside* existing apps such as CMSs, forums, game engines, and creator tools.

This was a pragmatic choice. Deep integrations require maintainer buy-in, long review cycles, and ongoing responsibility. Plugins let developers ship Lightning independently, test demand quickly, and iterate without blocking upstream projects.

Through plugins, developers brought bitcoin into apps faster, without waiting for permission, experimented quickly, and learned what actually works for users.

And you can see both of these trends play out across the winning submissions. More importantly, they show that the most effective way to build is to meet users exactly where they already are. This is what the future of building on Bitcoin looks like.

With that, we’re proud to present the winners of the </time2build> challenge.

# **$3,500 Prize Winners**

### **BTC Pay Server | Team: Aljaz**

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

Aljaz [built a plugin for BTCPay Server](https://geyser.fund/project/btcpayserverlightningbackendwithsparksdk20251212130411?hero=geyser), the free and open-source payment processor used by merchants around the world.

The integration removes the need to run a full Lightning node, avoiding the headaches of channel management and liquidity. Instead, it uses the Breez SDK to reduce the complexity while preserving full Bitcoin functionality. For merchants who want to accept bitcoin without having to run complex Lightning infrastructure, this is how.

### **Evento | Team: Brianna, Andre, and Aaliyah**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*eZINHQcHuCT_Gtk64mgRbw.jpeg)

Brianna, Andre, and Aaliyah [built a Lightning integration for Evento](https://evento.so/), which is a social events platform that helps people connect, host gatherings, and build communities.

Using the Breez SDK, they added Lightning directly into the Evento experience. Users can tip each other on event pages, support hosts, send and receive sats, buy and earn bitcoin, and spend it via Bitrefill, all without leaving the app.

Most social platforms monetize by extracting value through ads or data. Evento flips that logic. Value moves peer-to-peer, in real time, inside the moment that created it.

### **Portal | Team: Alessandro, Gianluca, Gabriele, and John**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*C5LvKs0fFn5E5-DqFgiHzw.png)

Alessandro, Gianluca, Gabriele, and John [integrated the Breez SDK into Portal](https://geyser.fund/project/portal20251115144259), a universal protocol and mobile app for identity and payments.

By adding Lightning to both the app and the underlying library, they also made Bitcoin a native capability of the protocol itself. Any application built on top of Portal will now inherit the ability to send and receive bitcoin without needing to build it from scratch.

Portal’s submission shows Lightning’s role as the common language, allowing identity, reputation, and value to travel together across apps.

### **Primal | Team: Daniel**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*MYrobN5E3hwuuP-A3WzD-Q.jpeg)

Daniel [integrated Lightning directly into the Primal web client](https://geyser.fund/project/primalspark?hero=geyser), bringing a self-custodial bitcoin experience directly into one of the most widely used Nostr apps. For many, Primal is Nostr. While best known as a mobile client, its browser version mirrors the same experience.

But until now, activating Primal’s wallet required a custodial flow and a KYC process that could fail based on email or location. For a network built around censorship resistance, being blocked during onboarding created an obvious tension.

The Breez SDK integration removes that friction. No personal information is required to generate keys, and onboarding takes about a minute. Identity, communication, and bitcoin come online together, without gatekeepers.

# **$1,000 + Special Prize Winners**

### **$1,000 Prize Winners**

- [**OBS Studio Donations Plugin**](https://geyser.fund/project/obsstudiodonationsplugin20251120214947?hero=geyser): An OBS Studio donation plugin for Lightning payments, with send/receive functionality, multi-device sync, and on-chain interoperability.
- [**Backend for Nutshell Mints**](https://geyser.fund/project/breeznodelesssdkasbackendfornutshellmints20251128135510?hero=geyser): Support for Spark as a Lightning backend for Nutshell Cashu mint — a reference Python implementation of the Cashu protocol.
- [**SatsMobi**](https://geyser.fund/project/satsmobi20251128145855?hero=geyser): A Telegram-based wallet that adds self-custodial Lightning alongside an existing custodial flow.
- [**CDK Payment Processor**](https://geyser.fund/project/cdksparkpaymentprocessor20251209183355?hero=geyser): A CDK payment processor using Spark for Lightning.
- [**Godot Engine Breez Plugin**](https://geyser.fund/project/godotenginebreezplugin20251212191328?hero=geyser): A plugin bringing Lightning into the Godot game engine, unlocking bitcoin-native monetization for games.
- [**Umbraco Marketplace NuGet Package**](https://geyser.fund/project/umbracocommunitybitcoinlightningpayments20251215125128?hero=geyser): A package that adds Lightning to Umbraco sites, including a tip jar, content paywall, and admin tooling.
- [**Discourse Breez Tipping**](https://geyser.fund/project/discoursebreeztipping20251216141407?hero=geyser): A Lightning plugin that adds tipping to Discourse forums, integrating bitcoin directly into community discussion.
- [**CTFd Bitcoin Rewards Plugin**](https://geyser.fund/project/ctfdpluginforbitcoinrewardschallenge20251216133729?hero=geyser): A Lightning rewards plugin for capture-the-flag challenges, bringing bitcoin into security education.

### **Special Prizes from DraperU & PlebLab**

- **DraperU *|*** [Lib de Satoshi & B4OS](https://geyser.fund/project/libdesatoshib4osincentivewallet20251216102638?hero=geyser): A community platform integrated Lightning to gamify education.
- **Pleblab** | [Sparkihonne](https://geyser.fund/project/sparkihonne?hero=geyser): A Nostr-focused wallet experience, blending identity, messaging, and payments.

Not every submission ended up with a prize, but there are several other projects worth checking out: [Sabi Wallet](https://geyser.fund/project/sabiwallet20251211025743), [Backend for CDK mints](https://geyser.fund/project/sparksdkasanodelessbackendforcdkmints20251027152518), [Jumble](https://geyser.fund/project/jumblespark), [Breez MCP Server — Docker Catalog](https://geyser.fund/project/breezmcpdockermcpcatalog20251104015051), [CoFi Lab](https://geyser.fund/project/cofilab20251115220808), [OpNode](https://geyser.fund/project/opnode20251115235722?hero=geyser), and [BitNGN](https://geyser.fund/project/bitngnremittanceplatform20251215160246).

# **What’s Next? *Builders Decide*.**

You answered our call to action.

In just two short months, developers around the world delivered a wide range of real use cases with the potential for long-lasting impact on the open-source apps they enriched. Thank you again to everyone who participated in the challenge and to our judges — [Abubakar, Giacomo, Jeff, Kevin, Keyan, Lisa, Roy, and Subash](https://www.time2build.dev/#judges) — for taking the time to review the winning projects.

For us, the next steps are clear. The era of building has begun. Whether that means adding Bitcoin to messaging apps like Signal, integrating it into leading crypto wallets, or bringing Lightning into entirely new apps with use cases we’ve yet to dream up, we can’t wait to see what you do next.

**It’s time to build.**

***

### **</time2build> Winners**

**$3,500 Prize Winners**

- [BTC Pay Server](https://geyser.fund/project/btcpayserverlightningbackendwithsparksdk20251212130411?hero=geyser), [Evento](https://geyser.fund/project/evento20251126132947?hero=geyser), [Portal](https://geyser.fund/project/portal20251115144259?hero=geyser), [Primal](https://geyser.fund/project/primalspark?hero=geyser)

**$1,000 Prize Winners**

- [OBS Studio Donations Plugin](https://geyser.fund/project/obsstudiodonationsplugin20251120214947?hero=geyser), [Backend for Nutshell Mints](https://geyser.fund/project/breeznodelesssdkasbackendfornutshellmints20251128135510?hero=geyser), [SatsMobi](https://geyser.fund/project/satsmobi20251128145855?hero=geyser), [CDK Payment Processor](https://geyser.fund/project/cdksparkpaymentprocessor20251209183355?hero=geyser), [Godot Engine Breez Plugin](https://geyser.fund/project/godotenginebreezplugin20251212191328?hero=geyser), [Umbraco Marketplace NuGet Package](https://geyser.fund/project/umbracocommunitybitcoinlightningpayments20251215125128?hero=geyser), [Discourse Breez Tipping](https://geyser.fund/project/discoursebreeztipping20251216141407?hero=geyser), [CTFd Bitcoin Rewards Plugin](https://geyser.fund/project/ctfdpluginforbitcoinrewardschallenge20251216133729?hero=geyser)

**Special Prizes**

- **DraperU** | [Lib de Satoshi & B4OS](https://geyser.fund/project/libdesatoshib4osincentivewallet20251216102638?hero=geyser)
- **Pleblab** | [Sparkihonne](https://geyser.fund/project/sparkihonne?hero=geyser)

# Deblock goes Nodeless with the Breez SDK on Spark

Starting this month, Deblock, one of Europe’s fastest-growing neobanks, will let its 300,000 customers move from euros to bitcoin and back in seconds, directly into their own wallet.

For Deblock users, this means they can:

* Buy BTC with euros and own it in seconds
* Sell BTC back to euros with instant settlement
* Send and receive bitcoin instantly

Check out the announcement on X: https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/2011498858728354290

European Neobank, Deblock, adds Bitcoin with the Breez SDK x Spark ⚡️

deleted by author

bitdevs

bitcoinplusplus

bitcoin++ in 2025 and what to expect in 2026: nifty does a braindump

niftynei

**Spark explained like you’re five.**

@roy breaks down how [Spark](https://sdk-doc-spark.breez.technology/) works using puzzle pieces!

Read his latest for @BitcoinMagazine 👇🧵


***

# Spark Explained Like You’re Five

![](https://cdn-ileamcn.nitrocdn.com/BngESKHdyFjXuZbvyAhEMmtQtwLKSKkU/assets/images/optimized/rev-57549b6/bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/SparkEli5.webp)

Some of you may remember an article I published years ago, [Understanding Lightning Network Using an Abacus](https://blog.breez.technology/understanding-lightning-network-using-an-abacus-daad8dc4cf4b), which I wrote after it became clear to me that many people didn’t fully understand how Lightning works. At the time, my goal wasn’t to explain Lightning’s cryptography or implementation details, but to demystify the core idea behind payment channels. I used the analogy of the abacus to focus on the concept rather than the mechanics. It worked extremely well and people later adopted the abacus analogy to explain Lightning to noobs.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a strong sense of déjà vu.

When discussing Spark, I notice a similar pattern. Some know to say “[statechain](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/bitcoin-layer-2-statechains)”, but for most, that’s where the understanding ends. And as with Lightning back then, the problem isn’t a lack of intelligence or effort, it’s simply that the underlying mental model isn’t clear. So I’ll try the same approach again: explain how Spark works conceptually, without getting into cryptographic terminology.

## The Two-Piece Puzzle

At its core, Spark allows users to send and receive bitcoin without broadcasting on-chain transactions. The bitcoin doesn’t move on-chain when ownership changes. Instead, what changes is who can jointly authorize their spend. This joint authorization is shared between the user and a group of operators called a Spark Entity (SE).

To explain how this works, imagine that spending a given set of bitcoin on Spark requires completing a simple two-piece puzzle:

- One piece of the puzzle is held by the user.
- The other piece is held by the SE.

Only when both matching pieces come together can the bitcoin be spent. A different set of bitcoin will require the completion of a different puzzle.

Now let’s walk through what happens when ownership changes.

Initially, Alice holds a puzzle piece that matches the piece held by the SE. She can spend her bitcoins by combining the pieces and completing the puzzle. When Alice wants to send her bitcoins to Bob, she allows Bob to create a new puzzle together with the SE. Importantly, the puzzle itself doesn’t change: the old and new puzzle have the same shape, but the pieces that compose it change. The new puzzle is designated for Bob: one side is associated with Bob and the other with the SE. From that point on, only Bob’s piece matches the SE’s piece. Alice may still retain her old puzzle piece, but it’s now useless. Since the SE destroyed its matching piece, Alice’s piece no longer fits any other piece and cannot be used to spend the bitcoin. Ownership has effectively moved to Bob, even though the bitcoin in question never moved on-chain.

![](https://cdn-ileamcn.nitrocdn.com/BngESKHdyFjXuZbvyAhEMmtQtwLKSKkU/assets/images/optimized/rev-57549b6/bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-27.png)

Bob can later repeat the same process to send the same set of bitcoin to Carol and so on. Each transfer works by replacing the puzzle pieces, not by moving the funds on-chain.

At this point, a question naturally arises: what if the SE simply doesn’t discard its old puzzle piece? In that case, the SE could collude with the previous owner, Alice, and spend Bob’s bitcoin. We need to [trust](https://docs.spark.money/learn/trust-model) the SE that, when ownership moved from Alice to Bob, it also destroyed its piece of the puzzle. However, it’s important to understand that an SE is not a single party. It consists of a group of operators, and the SE’s side of the puzzle is never held by one operator alone. Replacing the puzzle requires cooperation among multiple operators. No single party can secretly keep an old puzzle active or recreate it later. It’s enough for one operator to act honestly during a transfer to prevent an old puzzle from ever being reactivated.

![](https://cdn-ileamcn.nitrocdn.com/BngESKHdyFjXuZbvyAhEMmtQtwLKSKkU/assets/images/optimized/rev-57549b6/bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/image-26.png)

The key idea is simple: Spark doesn’t move bitcoin on-chain between users. It replaces who holds the valid authorization to spend them. The on-chain bitcoin doesn’t move. What changes is which two puzzle pieces fit together.

To keep this explanation focused, I intentionally didn’t get into [Spark’s unilateral exit mechanism](https://docs.spark.money/learn/technical-definitions). It’s an important part of Spark’s security model, but it would distract from the core idea I want to convey here. What matters is that Spark is not a system where users are permanently dependent on the SE. While everyday transfers rely on joint authorization, Spark also provides users with a way to spend their funds on-chain without requiring the cooperation of the SE. That escape hatch exists by design, it’s just outside the scope of this explanation.

ELI5: Spark  🧩 ✱

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9b1-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F626eb441-fb89-4558-8da5-4c72aa6852ee_1600x900.gif)

***Bye bye 2025, hello 2026***. While the year was winding down, December didn’t take a holiday. It was another packed month for Breez, Bitcoin, and Lightning. Let’s dive in:

- 🎓 Welcome Class of Q4
- 👷‍♂️ A Great Time to Build
- ䷰ Stablecoins: ~~Revolution~~ Evolution
- ☕️ Lightning in the Wild
- 🎙️ Let’s Talk Breez

---

## **Welcome Class of Q4 🎓**
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPEU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5dcb12b4-70e8-4583-8a0b-a25497f7eaed_1400x800.jpeg)

2025 will be remembered by many as Lightning’s breakout year and we closed it out in style by [welcoming twelve new partners to the Breez SDK](https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-the-class-of-q4-2025-cb3c747145eb).

In Q4, builders brought the SDK into crypto wallets, trading platforms, payroll, healthcare, and more. There was no single product category. That flexibility matters because it’s how bitcoin finds its way into every app.

Our Class of Q4 2025 included [Bitnomi](https://bitnomi.com/), [Blockschmiede](https://blockschmiede.com/), [Crinkl](https://crinkl.it.com/), [DGEN Technologies](https://www.dgentech.io/), [Flashnet](https://flashnet.xyz/), [Garden](https://garden.finance/), [Hodle](https://hodle.com.br/), [Layerz Wallet](https://layerzwallet.com/), [PaidIn](https://www.paidin.io/), [Quantum Vault](https://quantumencoding.io/), [SOUND HSA](https://soundhsa.com/), and [Split Loyalty](https://www.split-loyalty.com/).

For builders everywhere, it couldn’t be clearer: it’s no longer a question of *if* Lightning belongs in your app. It’s **when**. And the next step is [already obvious](https://breez.technology/sdk).

---

## **A Great Time to Build 👷‍♂️**
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Rchl!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99bbb95d-09c3-4c20-99b7-75befc048703_2869x1470.png)

December marked the final stretch of our global developer challenge, [</time2build>](https://www.time2build.dev/).

Over the past few months, builders from all corners of the globe got involved. The end result was [long-lasting integrations across merchant tools, social apps, event platforms, crypto wallets, and more](https://geyser.fund/grants/time2build).

We saw just about everything in the challenge. And to be honest, that was the point. Give developers the tools to build, and they won’t disappoint.

Stay tuned as our prize winners will be announced shortly.

---

## **Stablecoins: ~~Revolution~~ Evolution ䷰**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rA6_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8f27cf76-d66c-4f0b-83de-9c126b93edd3_1536x1024.png)

Stablecoins are having a *moment*.

They move fast, work globally, and have unlocked real utility. [Roy’s latest piece for Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/featured/stablecoins-evolution-not-a-revolution) doesn’t argue with that. It acknowledges it, then points out what often gets missed: stablecoins improve how today’s system works rather than redefine it.

The piece lays out why stablecoins were inevitable, why they’ve scaled as quickly as they have, and where the tradeoffs start to matter. From there, Roy draws a clear line between two very different paths. One optimizes how money moves inside today’s system. The other is entirely different: value transfer without issuers, permission, or legacy constraints.

If you’re thinking about where we should be heading, this one’s worth a read.

---

## **Lightning in the Wild ☕️**
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hsNJ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd9d45176-d64e-4d23-8459-4be8282da23e_475x268.gif)

For this month’s Lightning in the Wild, we trekked to the West Coast to join Lightspark’s David Marcus buying an espresso.

He was using a freshly built demo app by Alex from the Lightspark team. He put it together in just “half a day”, despite **not** being an engineer *and* having **never** built an app before.

***That’s*** how easy it is to build with the Breez SDK.

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1999486365093011796

---

## **Let’s Talk Breez 🎙️**
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6JIv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F377e5e61-0ce2-4d71-805d-c1b1ab04f644_220x140.gif)

December gave us plenty to talk about. So we did. Breez, Bitcoin, and Lightning. *As usual*.

First up, [Danny joined Michael on The Bitcoin Way Podcast](https://x.com/Thebitcoinway_/status/1997037552319307924?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1997037552319307924%7Ctwgr%5Ee0bb2580e1591621f3b5ad40099e16165962d0ce%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.notion.so%2F015-Feel-the-Breez-2bc7b1f3bc1a804aad86ff1ef08273d9%3Fd%3D2bd7b1f3bc1a80c480c9001ca762cd80pvs%3D52bc7b1f3bc1a80d79775e7ed272a8d0a). On the show, he laid out a future where bitcoin becomes part of everyday apps by focusing on its utility: [**value transfer**](https://blog.breez.technology/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information-2513eae84676).

https://x.com/Thebitcoinway_/status/1997037552319307924

December also saw [Roy’s talk at Arkade Activation Day in Lugano released](https://rumble.com/v72la86-next-generation-wallets-roy-breez-francis-bull-bitcoin-gareth-layerzwallet.html). In the discussion alongside Francis from Bull Bitcoin and Gareth from Class of Q4 graduate LayerzWallet, the Breez CEO spoke about where the next generation of bitcoin-powered apps are headed.

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5u8K!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F06014098-0da9-4fa4-94d3-540cbbf8047e_2706x1526.png)

---

[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 ✌️

December 2025 Newsletter. Feel the Breez 👀⚡️

Happy New Year folks!

Sharing the latest partners to bring bitcoin to their apps with the Breez SDK!


***

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*fFBygAvJia-7XGwG66q7yA.jpeg)

A year ago, [we talked about momentum](https://blog.breez.technology/breez-has-been-building-momentum-and-were-just-getting-started-06cf97c272ab) because things were moving fast and accelerating. But once a mass is moving, inertia comes into play too. An object in motion doesn’t want to stop, and the greater the mass, the more its motion is locked in.

In the case of Breez, the SDK might be the center of gravity, but our partners are undeniably our mass. They’re the ones who give us ideas on how to design new features. They’re the ones who are testing our product around the clock and around the world in [so](https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-class-of-q2-2025-f6246c5da721) very [many](https://blog.breez.technology/the-breez-sdk-class-of-q3-2025-565356ef4335) diverse use cases. Our business is helping our partners to build theirs.

Indeed, the diversity of partners and use cases is what makes our SDK special. Our product has to work on wallets, trading platforms, bridging services, healthcare finance, payroll apps, and whatever else our partners dream up. And it does so reliably, securely, and at scale, as the examples below demonstrate.

So allow me to introduce the brilliant (and sizable!) cohort of partners to integrate the Breez SDK in Q4 2025. They’re the mass that gives us our energy.

# **Bitnomi**

**Frictionless finance is for everyone from Wall Street to the Global South**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*rJ0ojgAfVhWnBA9ajixWEQ.png)

The Global South is perhaps better known for natural beauty and diverse cultures than for frictionless finance. It’s hard to build economies unless money can flow freely. That’s why [Bitnomi](https://bitnomi.com/) is building self-custodial wallets with built-in pricing, settlement, and local off-ramps to give people access to bitcoin as everyday money in economies where banks and global fintechs underprovide. You gotta love the don’t-wait-for-it-just-build-it attitude! It’s how we build the Breez SDK and exactly what we’re building it for.

# **Blockschmiede**

**Combining the security of a cold hardware wallet with the convenience of a mobile hot wallet**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*B5SBPIw1SOGIekyXgKCtRQ.png)

For most people, phones have become their primary digital devices and the only kind of device they use for activities like banking and shopping. But the hot wallets on phones can’t usually match the security of an air-gapped hardware wallet. The engineers at [Blockschmiede](https://blockschmiede.com/index.html) have squared the circle by creating an NFC card that functions as a cold wallet but connects wirelessly and frictionlessly with users’ phones. Security meets convenience, powered by the Breez SDK.

# **Crinkl**

**Turning purchase receipts into bitcoin bonuses**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*auFUj3t8Z3kMmaUi9ko-TA.png)

An asset whose value grows the more you use it would be ideal — the more cake you eat, the more cake you have. Consumer data is worth something to merchants and advertisers, but it’s also worth something to the consumers who generate it. [Crinkl](https://crinkl.it.com/) lets users scan their receipts to generate an ever-growing database, which builders, researchers, and brands value and compensate with bitcoin going back to the consumers. It’s basically financial recycling in that it turns a transaction’s trash (i.e. the receipt) into bitcoin for more transactions: a great idea powered by the Breez SDK.

# **DGEN Tech**

**Minimizing friction and maximizing privacy in bitcoin-based retail sales**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*Dkpkq626jwy_xMd28bsgKA.jpeg)

KYC is a pain. Vendors accepting credit cards but not bitcoin is a pain. But as [DGEN Tech](https://www.dgentech.io/) is proving, neither is necessary. The concept is to give users a Visa card that they can top up and spend [privately](https://blog.breez.technology/spark-or-liquid-you-cant-go-wrong-with-the-breez-sdk-c553e035fc4d) through an app. Oh, and KYC? Yeah, that’s private too. Of course, the privacy DGEN Tech provides can only be as good as the privacy in the rest of their stack, so it’s a good thing their stack is built on the Breez SDK.

# **Flashnet**

**Trade anything on Bitcoin and leapfrog tradfi**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*02kH5KnU1_wGwVkNz0BtAg.png)

It’s become almost [a cliché](https://from-the-outside.com/2022/06/29/things-worth-keeping-as-we-reinvent-finance/) among the cognoscenti that crypto is speedrunning the history of tradfi. But no trading floor or Bloomberg terminal can offer self-custody, instant liquidity, and the ability to build your own exchange products on an existing, thriving stack. That’s exactly what [Flashnet](https://www.flashnet.xyz/products/trading) offers, and they’re not reinventing traditional finance as much as they’re innovating products that the tradfi paradigm can’t even envision. And the keystone on which that versatility and innovation rest is the Breez SDK.

# **Garden**

**A massive, self-custodial bridge across chains**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*NSnXx0Uf2F5tBe_Jsi4y7Q.png)

Bridges are marvels of engineering, and the bigger they are, the more impressive they get. [Garden](https://garden.finance/) is a leading bridging service that lets users move their bitcoin between chains without losing custody. And considering their scale, calling this service “Garden” is like calling the Pacific Ocean “pond.” They have moved over $2B in volume and claim to have saved their customers over six and a half years relative to legacy bridges. This Garden is so lush because it’s nourished by the rich soil of the Breez SDK.

# **Hodle**

**How Brazilians buy bitcoin**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*JMa6bnWBtyJhgW4LOeiJdA.png)

Brazil is blessed with unparalleled natural beauty, great food, and widespread love for smart financial products. [Hodle](https://hodle.com.br/) lets Brazilians buy and sell bitcoin and DePix — a stablecoin pegged to the real and issued on Liquid — with all the privacy and security users need. That means document-free, private, encrypted KYC and self-custody. Hodle leverages the Breez SDK to make bitcoin flow like the Amazon.

# **LayerzWallet**

**Many Bitcoin layers, one wallet to bind them**

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*z_v5Ks6XuEIBj6mUvnamVw.png)

Bitcoin is growing in quantity (slowly), in value (rapidly), and in features (faster than you can blink). Many of those features are enabled by new layers built on top of or around the base protocol, which can make for a dense, complicated UX. [LayerzWallet](https://layerzwallet.com/) counteracts complexity with simplicity, letting users move between and act across layers in one intuitive interface. There are few problems in the world that can’t be mitigated with good design, good design is LayerzWallet’s raison d’être, and the Breez SDK is what lets them build cleverly and beautifully.

# **PaidIn**

**Bringing the circular economy to the real economy**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*YSE1fDz0R8Z1l3GmiMIiGQ.jpeg)

Many people spend fiat because they’re paid in fiat, so if they were paid in bitcoin, it would be a huge step toward a circular bitcoin economy. But that won’t happen until the employers paying them have a reliable, familiar way to manage their payroll, invoices, taxes, and general cash flow on bitcoin. [PaidIn](https://www.paidin.io/) gives enterprises exactly that: full payroll automation in bitcoin, advanced tax reporting, multinational employee onboarding, compliance tooling, etc. The service is only available in the USA and Canada (for now), but once they expand PaidIn might be both a Breez partner and supplier.

# **Quantum Vault**

**Hodling, trading, AI: all good things go together**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*Q3zVx6YVDtq-dcxColpEsw.png)

People who are into Bitcoin and crypto generally like watching money grow, which also means that they’re probably into trading. But they also need somewhere to store their stacks. [Quantum Vault](https://quantumencoding.io/) combines those interests and turbocharges them: users get a self-custodial wallet as well as next-gen trading tools that they can operate manually or automate with AI trained on strategy. It’s an app for power users who want to make the most of their money, and the quantum leap is sprung by the Breez SDK.

# **SOUND HSA**

**Look after yourself by looking after your money**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*BH4MHF1EOr7T8eo3kdJ1hg.png)

In some countries, people can obtain healthcare without ever seeing a bill, and in others some bad news from a doctor can inflict serious financial injuries. [SOUND HSA](https://soundhsa.com/) is helping people in the latter category prepare for the worst (or even just the not-great) by giving them access to a bitcoin-based health savings account designed to triple the tax advantages. And beyond helping people prepare for medical misfortune, SOUND HSA offers rewards to users who avoid such misfortunes in the first place with healthy habits. Making the world a better place has always been a guiding principle at Breez, and we’re thrilled to see our SDK realize that principle in ways we never imagined.

# **Split Loyalty**

**Making point-of-sale bitcoin payments a win-win for customers and merchants**
![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*2HrKuQqfuXbgun2nc3QdhA.png)

Many customers would like to hodl their bitcoin to watch it appreciate; many merchants would like to accept bitcoin to watch it appreciate. A payment platform that let merchants give users some cash back when paying with bitcoin would align their interests and leave everyone better off (except the banks and credit card companies — boo hoo). That’s [Split Loyalty](https://www.split-loyalty.com/Landing-page). They started by improving merchants’ UX by lowering the cost of ACH payments, and now they’re improving everyone’s UX by making bitcoin payments better for everyone, and they’re doing it with the Breez SDK.

Breez announces 12 new SDK partners ⚡️ 👀

Happy New Year folks!

Sharing Breez's latest release below:

> Payments are now up to 4.5× faster, with near-instant performance for most use cases.

Check out the release notes: https://github.com/breez/spark-sdk/releases/tag/0.6.6

***

# Features & Bug Fixes
* Improved payment performance
* Added expiration support for BOLT11 invoices
* Emitted events for token payments and incoming HTLCs

New Release: Breez SDK - Nodeless (Spark Implementation) 0.6.6 ⚡️

**Stablecoins are an evolution. *Not a revolution*.**

They solve real problems for millions, but inherit the limits of the system they’re built on.

Bitcoin is different because it enables something else entirely: digitally native, borderless value transfer.

In his latest for Bitcoin Magazine, @roy lays out the benefits of stablecoins, their limitations, and why Bitcoin’s utility goes far beyond fiat-based system.

***

# Stablecoins: Evolution, not a Revolution

Technologies tend to have a natural ceiling built into their utility and popularity. Once they’ve solved all the problems they can solve, their growth is effectively capped. As soon as all potato fans own a potato peeler, the peeler market’s growth potential is largely tapped out. Indeed, the big question around AI at the moment is how many problems it will be able to solve. The market could already be overblown, or it could be practically limitless.

What about stablecoins? They’ve grown from practically nothing at the turn of the decade to a market cap in the mid-12 digits and monthly transaction volumes in excess of $1 trillion. Citigroup expects the aggregate stablecoin market cap to hit around [$2 trillion](https://www.citigroup.com/rcs/citigpa/storage/public/GPS_Report_Stablecoins_2030.pdf) by the end of the decade.

If we’re talking trillions, it sounds much more like AI than potato peelers.

But do stablecoins have a natural limit? Is their utility restricted to a certain range of problems? How far can stablecoins grow, and what might stop them?

In order to find answers to these questions, let’s recall why stablecoins have come so far already, what will limit their future growth, and what that means for their overall utility, i.e. the range of problems they can solve.

# **Why Stablecoins Gained Market Traction**

Three reasons for stablecoins’ current popularity stand out.

### **Stable Prices, Low Volatility**

The first reason is price stability. Many cryptocurrencies are volatile, which makes them valuable for speculation but awkward to use as everyday currencies. The value of stablecoins is, well, stable. By definition. Price stability is their fundamental value proposition.

Price stability is also arguably an advantage relative to other cryptocurrencies whose value is perpetually expected to rise. If your coins’ value will double in five years, you might be reluctant to spend them now. But if your coins will be worth the same or even a little less in five years, you better spend them before they burn a hole in your pocket.

### **Greater Portability**

The second is portability. Exchanging fiat for crypto can be arduous, but exchanging one crypto for another is usually much easier. So many users find it more efficient to convert fiat into stablecoins in bulk, then easily shift value between various cryptocurrencies as needed. [USDT is the most traded coin overall](https://www.tradingview.com/markets/cryptocurrencies/prices-most-traded/) because it works so well on the other side of any crypto trade.

In many markets, these first two factors reinforce each other. Many countries’ national currencies depreciate more rapidly than stablecoins’ pegged currencies, so stablecoins give people in those countries a way to protect their wealth from depreciation. And those same countries often use currency controls to prevent capital flight, but their citizens can often access stablecoins to circumvent those artificial barriers.

### **Tax Optimization**

The third reason is simply taxes. [Many jurisdictions](https://www.binance.com/en/academy/articles/how-is-crypto-taxed-in-different-countries) — including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia — classify cryptocurrencies as commodities rather than currencies. As a result, capital gains taxes apply to cryptocurrency price appreciation, so each transaction can be a taxable event. But many users and businesses might want to use crypto for its portability, like payment rails, so stablecoins’ price stability helps them avoid taxable events during routine payments.

Press enter or click to view image in full size

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*J6jzHhForQFP44Gh41t65Q.png)

# **You Can’t Copy State Money without State Rules**

Fiat currency is the modern state’s crown jewel. Beyond a national currency’s symbolic value, controlling the source of everyone’s money is a very advantageous position. For an impression of what a big deal this can be, rewatch [Ridley Scott’s Black Rain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woY1UH9Ki28) (it’s a great rewatch for any reason, not least of which is Michael Douglas rockin’ a killer mullet).

If stablecoins are minting hundreds of billions of fiat equivalents and moving trillions in value each month, the state is going to take a very close interest in what they’re doing and how. You can’t open your own private mint moving that kind of liquidity and hope to stay under the regulatory radar.

Besides, history shows that states will regulate whatever they can. They have to. Any activity they cannot regulate implicitly threatens their claim to authority, and they don’t actually produce anything (besides perhaps regulation), so they need to acquire resources. In order to take their cut from an activity, states have to first quantify and control (i.e. regulate) that activity. This is the kind of argument that led Charles Tilly, one of the last century’s most respected historical sociologists, to call states “[protection rackets](https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511628283.008)” and “organized crime.”

Centralized activity is also why [states preferred tariffs over taxes](https://www.jstor.org/stable/2706885) until pretty recently. Back when bureaucracies were small and populations were spread out, states found it very hard to tax income. They didn’t have the data to quantify it nor the technology to control it. So they preferred tariffs because there are far fewer ports and bridges than there are households and shops.

In other words, the more centralized an activity is, the easier it is to quantify and control (and skim of course). More concisely: centralization attracts regulation. And the more central an activity is to state power, the more incentive the state has to regulate it, and printing money is about as central as it gets.

Stablecoins are no exception. They are centralized both in terms of the source of their value and in their actual operations, which is why regulators have been busy churning out rules lately. While that regulation might even be necessary and wise, it does and will limit stablecoins’ utility.

Press enter or click to view image in full size

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*U7gdB65OnyKvvr49kgJ_9Q.png)

### **Rules, Their Effects, and Extrapolating the Future**

The supply of regulation has increased a lot recently, but maybe it’s just meeting demand. In fact, Tether and Circle, the two biggest stablecoin issuers, are getting involved in the regulatory process with [different strategies](https://margex.com/en/blog/tether-seeks-legitimacy-as-it-hires-white-houses-former-crypto-advisor/). They’re aware of their position as private USD mints and companies that take large amounts of private deposits and reinvest them (i.e. banks). Mature stablecoin issuers seem to *want* regulation.

The regulators themselves argue that stablecoin regulation is a good thing because it protects users and gives issuers “[more predictable regulatory environments](https://www.sec.gov/files/stablecoin_regulatory_framework.pdf).” Not surprisingly, this is the view of the SEC.

And this reasoning is not without merit. Companies managing hundreds of billions in liabilities should be able to meet those liabilities, and maybe someone should check. But the existing regulations have added some massive obstacles to where and how people can use stablecoins.

Let’s start with Europe, because regulatory legalese is the EU’s official language. The [Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)](https://www.esma.europa.eu/esmas-activities/digital-finance-and-innovation/markets-crypto-assets-regulation-mica) is the key stablecoin regulatory measure in Europe. It became law in 2023, but the consequences only really struck in Q1 2025. Since MiCA requires stablecoin issuers to obtain an e-money license in at least one European state, [major exchanges](https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/binance-stablecoin-delisting-in-europe) like Binance and Coinbase delisted nine leading stablecoins, including USDT, the biggest stablecoin of all. (Of course, [a consortium](https://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/oblb/blog-post/2025/11/europes-mica-moment-racing-against-time-stablecoin-wars) of nine too-big-to-fail European banks is trying to launch their own euro-pegged stablecoin.)

MiCA was a regulatory nuke, practically banning leading stablecoins and seeking to replace them with astroturfed European alternatives.

Somewhat more friendly to experimentation and innovation, the USA has implemented the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins ([GENIUS](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1582)) Act. GENIUS is a little more permissive in that the Treasury Department can determine that foreign stablecoin issuers are subject to sufficient regulation at home, sparing them the need for a local US presence. It also prescribes a few particulars like reserve requirements and public disclosure.

While the GENIUS Act formally restricts issuers and protects users, it also makes issuers subject to the Bank Secrecy Act to prevent money laundering. As anyone knows who’s ever bought crypto on an exchange, AML and KYC are significant friction, and they effectively restrict how holders can use stablecoins. Eliminating exactly that friction was one of the features that made stablecoins attractive in the first place. Greater consumer protection might increase stablecoins’ utility in the long-term aggregate, but a user who wants to buy and trade USDT right now might disagree.

And while the EU and the USA are arguably the most important markets for stablecoins, [many other markets either](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/pla02-stablecoin-regulation-globally/) have regulations in place (e.g. Japan, Canada, Chile) or in the pipeline (e.g. the UK, China, Australia, Brazil, Turkey).

Imagine a giant Venn diagram of all these regulatory regimes, and stablecoins’ utility is in the space where they all overlap and the activity remains economical. How big is that space? And given that stablecoins are pegged to national currencies, which national administrations guard jealously, are these already diverse regulatory regimes likely to converge or diverge in the future?

The denser the jungle of regulations, the smaller and more isolated the clearings where stablecoins can flourish. They will still have a niche, but some niches are more niche than others. It’s unlikely that any stablecoin, based on a national or even regional fiat currency, will satisfy all the regulators in all the markets necessary to become a global currency. That’s probably why real-world stablecoin usage ends up being far more geographically constrained than the “global digital dollars” many hoped for. Even USDT, the most widely used stablecoin, operates at scale in only a few permissive jurisdictions. With roughly 40% of USDT’s market cap and an effectively identical product, USDC faces the same structural limits.

# **Good as Far as They Go, but Bitcoin Can Go Farther**

So stablecoins are centralized fiat tokens. Being centralized and *tethered* to state fiat means that regulators are grasping them tightly, resulting in cost and friction for everyone involved. This process is already well underway and will continue. Does this mean that stablecoins are doomed?

Probably not. As tokenized fiat, stablecoins are likely to thrive wherever fiat is good enough. In practice, that means conventional payments. I recently defined payments as [instructions to clear a debt](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/the-utility-of-bitcoin-moving-value-like-information). Wherever an intermediated quid pro quo describes the interaction, stablecoins will probably work as the quid. Indeed, the potential to capture some of the payment business from other fintech solutions (or to defend their own) is probably why established fintech players like [Klarna](https://www.klarna.com/international/press/klarna-launches-klarnausd-as-stablecoin-transactions-hit-usd27-trillion/), [PayPal](https://www.paypal.com/us/digital-wallet/manage-money/crypto/pyusd), and [Stripe](https://cointelegraph.com/news/stripe-announces-stablecoin-financial-accounts) have launched their own stablecoins or stablecoin accounts. Stablecoins are turning into normal payment fintech, but maybe *just* normal payment fintech.

*Normal* means subject to state regulations and the functional and geographic limits they impose. It means juicy fees going to intermediaries. It means friction for users.

But there is a whole universe of value that eludes the payment model either because it requires direct, disintermediated transfers, it disregards political geography, there is no debt involved, or *all of the above*. The potential for value transfer is sometimes hard to see because the balkanized, intermediated payment paradigm is so dominant. We’ve simply lacked the technology to do much else until recently.

Still, whenever you toss some coins to a busker or tip a content creator, you’re pushing value, not clearing debt. Whenever cash moves from hand to hand, the transfer is disintermediated. Now imagine the busker is on the other side of the globe, and you discovered them through an app. The key to perceiving the rest of that value-transfer universe is to bring that directness and borderlessness into our digital world.

Press enter or click to view image in full size

![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*5_eKfGc6rKhVaWfns2rABg.gif)

Value transfer needs less friction than fiat in both a technical and regulatory sense. But to achieve that, you’d need a currency that is detached from national currencies and *decentralized*. That’s where bitcoin comes in. Bitcoin is an open, decentralized, neutral monetary network that works for anyone, anywhere, anytime. If stablecoins have to get by in the clearings of the regulatory jungle, bitcoin floats breezily and limitlessly in the sky above.

Bitcoin was built on and for the internet, so it is natively programmable in ways that stablecoins can only vaguely approximate. And far from needing third-party custodians, bitcoin transfers are direct and disintermediated between the millions of users everywhere. The future stablecoins promise without much credibility is already the present for bitcoin.

# **It’s Easier to Win the Race without Hurdles**

[Utility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility) is one of the central concepts in economics because it’s the mystic substance of decision making. People choose what they find most useful, and you know what’s most useful because it’s what people have chosen.

People are using stablecoins, which proves their utility. That usefulness isn’t going to go away, but regulation limits it. Stablecoins’ growth will stop where their utility is roughly matched by the friction that regulation induces. And the current state and probable future of regulation suggest that we’re getting pretty close to this equilibrium.

But since Bitcoin is not centralized and does not feed off state-based fiat currency, it is inherently harder to regulate and consequently attracts much less regulation. It’s also digitally native, which makes it a natural fit for a world of global commerce and value that flows frictionlessly across borders from one app anywhere to another. If regulation is what limits stablecoins’ utility and bitcoin is subject to much less regulation, it’s pretty clear who’s going to win the utility race.

Stablecoins: Evolution, not a Revolution by Roy Sheinfeld

Builders 👋

We're into the home stretch of the ```</time2build>``` challenge.

If you're working on an integration, make sure to get it submitted.

If you're still sitting on the sidelines, what are you waiting for? 

Here's some inspo:
https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1998402200825970923

It's time to build ⚡️

***

Builders, let’s go.

- Turn any existing open-source app into a bitcoin app with the Breez SDK.

- $25,000 prize pool with special prizes

- **Challenge ends December 16**

Start here → https://www.time2build.dev/


Devs, the </time2build> challenge ends soon 🔜 👀


**November was big. Lightning went mainstream.**

Read all about it in the latest edition of Feel the Breez:
https://newsletter.breez.technology/p/014-feel-the-breez


***

# 🌊 #014 Feel the Breez

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!BL98!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F83204dfb-5b21-49bc-8607-e7d8fd1cf3f9_1600x900.gif)

Lightning hit the mainstream in November, and the momentum keeps building as we head into the last month of 2025. One thing is clear. There’s never been a better time to build on Bitcoin, so let’s jump in:

- 🚀 Lightning Goes Mainstream
- 👀 Spark or Liquid?
- ⚒️ It’s (Still) Time to Build
- 🥗 Bringin(g) Bitcoin to Everyday Life
- ⚡️ Amsterdam & Why Lightning

---

## **Lightning Goes Mainstream 🚀**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!59n2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fac4b0bca-9d8e-481b-8bc0-3c25294d32ea_796x648.png)

It’s official folks: **Lightning is now mainstream.**

[Square just enabled bitcoin for *FOUR MILLION* merchants across the US](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1988313617205166250). Four million more reasons for developers to pay more attention.

For developers everywhere the message really couldn’t be clearer: if your app doesn’t have Lightning yet, you’re going to be left behind. And if history is anything to go by, **the clip below** is a perfect preview of what happens when you ignore a seismic shift like this.

The *good news* is that it’s easy to catch up. The [Breez SDK](https://breez.technology/sdk) gives you everything a developer needs to add Lightning to any app. Minimal effort. Maximum flexibility. Start building today and join the future of bitcoin-powered apps.

---

## **Spark or Liquid? 👀**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HRP3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa58f29bf-d1b0-44bb-8b4a-b96f569a6294_722x722.png)

We get this question a lot: *What’s the best Breez SDK implementation? Spark or Liquid?*

**Our answer: You can’t go wrong with the Breez SDK.**

Choosing between our Spark and Liquid implementations is a developer’s dream dilemma. That’s why [Roy has broken things down in his latest post](https://blog.breez.technology/spark-or-liquid-you-cant-go-wrong-with-the-breez-sdk-c553e035fc4d), walking through the differences between the [two Nodeless implementations](https://breez.technology/sdk), and how each one unlocks different superpowers for your app.

Bitcoiners know the value of being early. Bitcoin is still young and reshaping global finance. Lightning is younger and reshaping 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.

Choose Spark if you want instant settlement and offline support. Choose Liquid if privacy is your priority. Either way, the best move is to start building now because the future belongs to the developers who don’t wait for tomorrow.

---

## **It’s (Still) Time to Build ⚒️**

https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1995870823371210776

Builders around the world continued to answer the call for `</time2build>`.

As the challenge progresses, [submissions are starting to roll in](https://geyser.fund/grants/time2build). We’ve already seen integrations across events, gaming, Nostr, and more.

The global meetups haven’t slowed down either. Developers are still gathering across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia as they look for inventive ways to bring bitcoin to existing open-source apps. And just in case you thought you’d missed the boat, there are still two weeks left, with submissions closing on **December 16**.

You know the drill by now. [It’s time to build](https://www.time2build.dev/).

---

## **Bringin(g) Bitcoin to Everyday Life 🥗**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9fOs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6323e98f-0703-468d-b778-75ccea1a6f24_480x270.gif)

For this month’s Lightning in the wild, we’re heading over to Europe.

[Bringin](https://t.co/fB1catWPEi) is freshly out of beta and ready to make bitcoin part of everyday life for Europeans. Since their release in October, we’ve seen a wave of videos showing the app in action.

Bitcoin in every app, used every day. *Let’s go.*

---

## **Amsterdam & Why Lightning? ⚡️**

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4Hpp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04042a3d-4fff-489f-aa1e-9027cc1a235a_640x426.gif)

November saw Roy head over to Europe for the Bitcoin Conference in Amsterdam. He kicked things off with a [Q&A hosted by Shinobi on unlocking Bitcoin’s utility to make value move like information](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1988979722014077397/).

![Image](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1Oy0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F95dc1ac8-4f69-4ab1-8fce-b1d469399825_1200x900.jpeg)

Later, on the Oranje stage, [he joined Jesse Shrader (Amboss) and Veronika Kütt (Arkade) for a panel on the user experience of bitcoin payments](https://x.com/Breez_Tech/status/1994425298805240295), where he reinforced what is fast becoming the mainstream view: [**Lightning is the common language of bitcoin**](https://blog.breez.technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11) as the technology moves into the spotlight.

With Lightning front and center, the online conversation followed the same energy as our partners took to social media to answer a simple question: “*Why Lightning?*”.

Have a read of what they had to say 👀

![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yI_F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F88928fbc-5400-45d4-8189-82eecd605289_1024x1024.gif)

---

[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 ✌️

***