Revolut Integrates Bitcoin's Lightning Network Through Lightspark to Enable Instant Crypto Payments

British neobank Revolut has integrated Bitcoin's Lightning Network into its payments infrastructure in partnership with Lightspark, aiming to offer users in the UK and select European Economic Area countries instant and low-cost crypto transactions.

The integration, announced by the fintech company on Tuesday, will reportedly allow for faster and cheaper digital payments with lower network costs and transaction times.

The move taps into what Lightspark describes as the “open Money Grid,” a technology that connects various financial institutions and payment networks to process transactions more efficiently.

Emil Urmanshin, GM of Crypto at Revolut, noted that the integration aligns with the bank's broader goal of providing faster and more affordable financial services.

The news comes shortly after Revolut unveiled its mobile crypto exchange app, Revolut X, for users in the U.K. and European Economic Area, enabling trading of over 400 crypto pairs and 220 tokens.

The mobile rollout followed its earlier desktop launch and expanded the platform's reach after announcing plans for European growth in November 2024.

Lightning Network

The Lightning Network, Bitcoin's Layer 2 protocol, is known for allowing scalable, real-time transactions and is increasingly being adopted by fintech platforms looking to expand their crypto payment capabilities.

Lightspark's technology also supports Universal Money Address, which links email-like identifiers to wallet addresses, simplifying crypto payments for users.

"Together, we're weaving a Money Grid that's better, faster, and stronger," said Lightspark CEO David Marcus.

"We're still in the early stages of a new Web3 era, and it's exciting to see institutions like Revolut leading the way with a vision for the future of money."

He added: "Imagine banking in the 1990s with dial-up compared to the 5G world we live in today. That's the difference between traditional bank systems and what we're building at Lightspark with the Money Grid and institutions like Revolut."

Revolut joins a growing list of global fintechs turning to Lightning to improve user experience and efficiency. The integration highlights an ongoing shift toward real-time, borderless financial transactions—without the slow settlement times and high costs typically associated with blockchain payments.