CoinGate integrated the Bitcoin Lightning Network in 2018, becoming one of the first global payment processors to do so. This early adoption marked a major milestone – it gave merchants access to instant, low-fee Bitcoin payments years before the broader market began to catch up.

Since then, Lightning has grown into an important part of the Bitcoin payments ecosystem. Between 2018 and 2025, 6% of all Bitcoin orders on CoinGate were processed through Lightning, showing steady but selective adoption among merchants and shoppers.

lightning network yoy orders The peak year for Lightning usage was 2024, when 15.4% of all BTC orders were made through the Lightning Network. This surge reflected a wave of wallet integrations, higher network capacity, and broader awareness of Lightning’s advantages for microtransactions and fast checkouts.

In 2025, Lightning transactions make up 11.7% of all BTC orders – slightly lower than the year before but still representing a meaningful share of Bitcoin’s overall activity. This moderate decline suggests that while Lightning has proven its reliability, usage fluctuates with market trends, wallet adoption, and network capacity cycles.

Despite these variations, Lightning remains a crucial enabler of real-world Bitcoin payments. For merchants, it allows instant confirmations with minimal fees. For shoppers, it provides a smooth, low-cost experience even for small transactions – something traditional Bitcoin transactions can’t always match.

Together, these results reinforce a simple truth: Lightning is no longer an experiment. It’s an established layer of Bitcoin commerce that continues to expand its role year after year.

Read full report: https://coingate.com/blog/post/eleven-years-of-bitcoin-payments-data-report-2014-2025