Bitcoin Lightning Network exceeds $1B in monthly volume: Report

Monthly transaction measurement connected the Bitcoin (BTC) Lightning Network, a secondary furniture for BTC that enables outgo usage cases, surpassed the $1 cardinal milestone successful November 2025, according to a study from Bitcoin fiscal services institution River.

Transaction measurement connected the Lightning Network deed an estimated $1.1 cardinal successful November, crossed 5.2 cardinal transactions, according to a study shared by Sam Wouters, River’s manager of marketing. The study said:

“Lightning adoption happened contempt the terms declining each of November and mostly not doing overmuch successful 2025. The adoption was mostly driven by exchanges, arsenic good arsenic a increasing fig of businesses accepting bitcoin payments.”

Estimated monthly Lightning Network transaction measurement and transaction count. Source: River

However, the full transaction number successful 2025 is little compared with 2023, erstwhile monthly Lightning transactions peaked astatine 6.6 cardinal successful August of that year, which River attributed to experiments with micropayments successful gaming and messaging apps.

The study forecast a akin surge successful Lightning transactions arsenic individuals and businesses experimentation with AI payments. 

The Bitcoin Lightning Network helps standard the Bitcoin network, enabling Bitcoin payments betwixt parties that settee successful seconds alternatively of minutes, encouraging Bitcoin’s usage arsenic a medium of exchange, alternatively of conscionable a hazard plus oregon store of value.

Related: Voltage rolls retired USD-settled Bitcoin Lightning recognition enactment for businesses

Exchanges and organization clients follow Lightning Network

The Lightning Network reduces transaction costs and colony times by opening up a outgo transmission betwixt 2 oregon much parties to grip transactions offchain, posting lone the nett equilibrium of the transmission to the Bitcoin ledger erstwhile it is closed.

Typically, Bitcoin blocks instrumentality 10 minutes connected mean to beryllium added to the ledger, severely limiting BTC payments, peculiarly for smaller purchases astatine carnal businesses.

In December 2025, the Lightning Network’s capacity, the full fig of coins locked connected the web for liquidity, reached 5,606 BTC, arsenic much companies and institutions began utilizing it.

An overview of companies that supply Bitcoin Lightning Network services. Source: River

Secure Digital Markets, an Institutional trading and lending company, sent crypto speech Kraken $1 cardinal successful a Lightning transaction successful February.

The transaction showed that large, seven-figure amounts tin beryllium transferred betwixt organization parties utilizing Bitcoin’s layer-2 scaling network.

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