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Onchain researcher ZachXBT publically corrected the authoritative Ethereum X relationship connected July 4, pointing retired that privateness institution Proton accepts lone bitcoin, not ether, arsenic a cryptocurrency outgo enactment for its subscriptions.
Published: Jul 4, 2026, 6:30 PM
Key Takeaways
- ZachXBT told Ethereum’s X relationship that Proton takes lone BTC for subscription payments.
- Proton’s docs cull Lightning and ERC-20 payments and necessitate BTC astatine slightest 24 hours earlier bills are due.
- Proton launched a bitcoin-only self-custodial wallet successful 2024, deepening its alignment with Bitcoin.
The Callout
Replying straight to a station from Ethereum’s authoritative account, ZachXBT wrote connected X:
“Proton does not presently judge Ethereum arsenic outgo enactment for subscriptions lone Bitcoin.
The pseudonymous investigator, known for tracing stolen funds and exposing fraud crossed the industry, attached a screenshot and near the correction astatine that, a characteristically blunt fact-check delivered to an relationship with millions of followers.
Image source: XZachXBT has spent overmuch of the twelvemonth gathering precisely this estimation with his caller work, including an probe that alleged 95% of the LAB token’s proviso was insider-controlled and a informing that Humanity Protocol’s $32 cardinal hack was “possibly staged.”
What Proton Actually Accepts
Proton’s ain enactment documentation backs the researcher up with the Swiss company, champion known for its encrypted Proton Mail email work and VPN, stating that users “can wage for immoderate Proton subscription with Bitcoin,” astatine slightest wherever crypto is concerned.
The process is deliberately elemental if manual, and each users person to bash is prime bitcoin astatine checkout, scan a QR codification oregon transcript a BTC address, and hold for web confirmations (that tin instrumentality up to 24 hours). Automatic renewal is not disposable for bitcoin payers, truthful Proton advises sending outgo astatine slightest 24 hours earlier a measure comes due.
The company’s Bitcoin alignment runs deeper than checkout options fixed that successful 2024, Proton launched Proton Wallet, a self-custodial bitcoin storeage solution disposable connected the web, iOS and Android (a merchandise built astir BTC exclusively, with nary enactment for ether oregon ERC-20 tokens).
An Awkward Moment for Ethereum’s Payments Push
The jab lands astatine a delicate clip for Ethereum’s nationalist positioning, fixed that its genitor entity has witnessed a mass exodus of talent implicit the past quarter. Moreover, the Ethereum Foundation published a ceremonial privacy commitment precocious past twelvemonth and has since narrowed its priorities to what it calls CROPS (i.e. censorship resistance, seizure resistance, openness, privateness and security). Payments adoption features prominently successful the foundation’s 2026 execution plans, and the network’s selling has progressively courted privacy-focused users.
That is precisely wherefore ZachXBT’s correction stung since Proton is arguably the astir recognizable privacy-technology marque successful the world, with services spanning email, unreality storage, passwords and VPN (and erstwhile it takes crypto, it takes bitcoin). An Ethereum selling propulsion that name-checks the privateness system invites the evident rejoinder that the sector’s flagship institution routes its wealth implicit the rival chain.
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