The move is part of the exchange’s broader plan to improve cryptocurrency-based payments globally.

Coinbase (COIN) is looking to add Bitcoin’s Lightning network for payments as part of a broader plan to offer more cryptocurrency payments to users around the world.

“We’re looking into how to best add Lightning. It’s non-trivial, but I think worth doing. I’m all for payments taking off in Bitcoin,” CEO Brian Armstrong said on Wednesday. “Let’s build it together,” he added in response to a tweet by Jack Dorsey, founder of financial services company Block Inc.

The Lightning Network is a second layer for bitcoin (BTC) that uses micropayment channels between software providers called nodes to speed up payments on the Bitcoin blockchain for a low cost.

These channels allow two parties to lock up on-chain funds. It decreases network congestion by conducting several transactions separately and by then bundling every transaction into one when submitting to the main blockchain.

As of Wednesday, the Lightning network’s total capacity – or the total amount of bitcoin locked for payments across all channels – is 4,686.64 bitcoin, worth just over $138 million at current prices.

The post Coinbase Looks to Add Bitcoin Lightning for Payments appeared first on Crypto Insider.

The Lightning Address protocol allows users to send bitcoin over the Lightning Network to a wallet identifier resembling a conventional email address.

Michael Saylor, the outspoken bitcoin proponent and co-founder of business analytics software firm MicroStrategy (MSTR), has integrated Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into his corporate email address. This means anyone can use that email address – saylor@microstrategy.com – to send bitcoin (BTC) to the 58-year-old billionaire.

The integration uses The Lightning Address protocol, which allows developers to replace a standard Lightning invoice, or payment request, with an internet identifier such as an email address.

The Lightning Network is Bitcoin’s layer 2 scaling solution designed to make bitcoin payments cheaper and faster.

Saylor, who is reportedly worth around $1.2 billion and whose company has amassed approximately 140,000 BTC (about $4 billion at current prices), has been receiving small bitcoin donations from fans after tweeting about the integration.

The post MicroStrategy’s Saylor Integrates Bitcoin Lightning Address Into Corporate Email appeared first on Crypto Insider.