What is the Lightning Network?

The Lightning Network, as explained by Fidelity Digital Assets, is a system built on top of Bitcoin that lets you send money quickly and cheaply, with fees as low as 0% and transactions finishing in under a second. It’s growing fast—businesses like Coinbase and Kraken are using it, channel capacities have doubled since 2020 to handle bigger payments, and users can even earn extra by helping route payments while keeping full control of their Bitcoin.

The Lightning Network, a system built on Bitcoin, is making international money transfers faster, cheaper, and easier by letting transactions settle in seconds with fees under a cent, accessible to anyone with a smartphone—even those without bank accounts. It offers secure, private payments worldwide without relying on banks, outpacing traditional methods like bank transfers or online services that are slower and costlier. Research by Lightspark.

The Lightning Network, as described by River Learn, is a system built on top of Bitcoin that speeds up transactions and cuts costs by handling them off the main blockchain, solving Bitcoin’s limit of just 7 transactions per second. It lets users open private payment channels to send instant, low-fee transactions—like buying coffee or sending tips—anywhere on the network, with only the channel’s start and end recorded on the blockchain.

The Lightning Network, says Voltage, helps businesses by cutting transaction fees—especially for high volumes or tiny payments—while settling payments instantly, improving cash flow and enabling real-time sales. It offers more privacy and security by keeping transactions off the public blockchain, supports handling tons of transactions at once, and opens new ways to earn money like micropayments or streaming services.