Bitnob is listed as a provider at https://lightningaddress.com/. Does anyone know if that is true?
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Bitnob accounts have a username. Your Lightning address for your Bitnob account is then [username]@bitnob.io
You can also withdraw BTC to a Lightning address from the Bitnob app.
There is KYC requirement (ID verification) for using their exchange services, but I don't (yet) know if the Bitnob app can be used as to receive and send bitcoin without having to do the KYC.
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I just tried it out. It works fine. No KYC needed. I have an account with them for some time though. With new accounts it could be different.
I sent from Wallet of Satoshi to BitNob Lightning Adress. The funds received via the lightning adress can be settled in Dollars, BTC, Bank Account or MOMO
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Nice to see that !
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The link for this post uses a read-only front-end for Twitter, which can be easier to read for viewing a full Twitter thread. The Tweet that kicked off the thread is:
1/ @Bitnob_official is now live in Kenya 🇰🇪!
What does this mean?
It means that you can now send money from anywhere in the world that can be instantly settled into an Mpesa account. For example Cashapp <> Mpesa is now possible in seconds, not minutes.
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There is also a blog post from Bitnob on it:
Bitcoin Exchange 'Bitnob' Launches in Kenya: Includes Integration With the... #74751 https://bitnob.com/blog/announcement/bitnob-in-kenya
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This is significant because there has been until now only a couple methods to not just acquire bitcoin but to receive that bitcoin acquired via Lightning network.
The first exchange method with LN support was Paxful P2P platform, but being a P2P exchange that is not instant and they charge 1% withdrawal fee when withdrawing via LN. RoboSats is another P2P trading platform and is LN-only. It arrived earlier this year but there have only been a few BTC/KES trades done on RoboSats so far, indicating liquidity just isn't there. (Hopefully if a RoboSats app comes out, that will find more usage in Kenya.)
So Bitnob, a centralized exchange, becomes the first exchange in the country of Kenya to provide the ability to receive bitcoin (via LN) and moments later have access to those funds in the local currency (via m-Pesa mobile money).
Additionally, Bitnob also will help drive usage on Machankura's USSD wallet, which lets user receive, store, and send bitcoin via LN using any phone -- even a $10 feature phone.
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Case in point:
I had to test this to believe it and as I keep on saying the brilliant minds in #Bitcoin are nothing short of amazing! 🤯 I just bought bitcoin through M-PESA using @Bitnob_official and was able to send it to my @Machankura8333 account within minutes. It’s a bright future!🥳
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this is amazing!! I just tested it out, I will write a post later on
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You should be able to trade Bitcoin for any currency
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When the central bank has warned banks repeatedly to not do business with customers having anything to do with "virtual currencies", there simply hasn't been many options for on-ramps and off-ramps (fiat exchanges) in Kenya. That's why Kenya has among the highest adoption globally for P2P trading -- because there simply hasn't been even a single spot exchange that works with the local fiat currency.
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