Revolut x Lightspark: Europe’s Bitcoin Network Just Got Faster

Revolut is teaming up with Lightspark to bring the Bitcoin Lightning Network to its UK and select European users. Big news for anyone who’s ever been frustrated with the fees and processing times of digital payments. By integrating this network, Revolut is cutting transaction costs and processing times – making digital payments faster and cheaper.

Lightspark, founded by David Marcus, a former PayPal exec, provides the backend infrastructure for the “Money Grid” – a decentralised payment network that uses the Bitcoin blockchain. Revolut wants to make financial services as efficient as possible. This partnership is a no-brainer for that. As Emil Urmanshin, General Manager of Crypto at Revolut, says: “We’re always looking to make financial services faster, cheaper. Lightspark enables us to do just that.”

The Lightning Network is a layer-2 solution built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. It does that by creating off-chain payment channels between parties. That reduces the load on the main blockchain and slashes transaction fees.

Lower transaction costs, faster settlement times, scalability and global reach are just some of the benefits of the Lightspark integration. (And, yes, those are the benefits in bullet points below.)

Lower Transaction Costs: Move payments off the main blockchain to reduce fees. Faster Settlement: Get paid near-instantly without waiting for block confirmations. Scalability: Handle more transactions, making Bitcoin practical for everyday use. Global Reach: Connect to the “Money Grid” for cross-border payments.

Revolut’s move is part of a broader trend among fintechs to adopt decentralised, blockchain-based payment solutions. That’s where Strike comes in – another Bitcoin-focused payments provider that processed $6 billion in transactions last year. That kind of demand is driving the growth of faster, crypto-native payment systems.

For Revolut’s 30 million+ users, this means faster, cheaper Bitcoin transactions. It puts the company at the forefront of real-time, low-cost and borderless payments. That’s a big deal as more financial institutions explore the benefits of DeFi.

The rollout timeline is TBC. But this partnership sets the stage for a new era of digital finance where sending Bitcoin is as seamless as sending an email.

The partnership with Lightspark is part of a broader trend among fintechs to modernise global finance. As that demand for faster, more efficient financial services grows, Revolut could be at the forefront of the race to modernise global finance.