Since the start of 2022, the Lightning Network’s capacity for microtransactions has grown by more than 15%, from 3,316 BTC to 3,915 BTC.
According to the 1ML service, the second-layer network operates 85,230 payment channels connected by 17,564 nodes.
Lightning Network is one of the key solutions for scaling Bitcoin, reducing transaction fees, and improving payment privacy.
Earlier Arcane Research noted that the LN ecosystem is growing faster than its capacity. According to them, the latest figure grew exponentially from April to September 2021 — during this period it increased by 700%.
Analysts attributed it to the legalization of bitcoin in El Salvador. Since September 2021, companies operating in the country have been required to accept payments from Chivo wallets, which are compatible with the Lightning Network.
In February 2022, the authorities relaunched Chivo, improving the app’s user interface, fixing bugs and adding enhanced LN support.
In the same month, the analytics platform Chainalysis added support for the Lightning Network in its transaction-tracking solution.
In April, the online broker Robinhood announced plans to integrate LN.
For details on how SegWit, Lightning, and batching reduce fees in the Bitcoin network, read ForkLog’s exclusive:
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