Cash App Integrates Lightning Network for Bitcoin Payments

Lightning Network is a decentralized protocol that uses smart contracts on top of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies like bitcoin

article-image

Source: Shutterstock

share
  • Cash App is a mobile money transfer service that allows people to send and receive money as well as bitcoin
  • Block (formerly Square) developed Cash App; Block’s CEO is Jack Dorsey

Mobile payment service Cash App has added a layer-2 payment protocol Lightning Network to help users transact with bitcoin, according to reports by users. 

The feature was rolled out to a handful of users and the Lightning Network feature can be used as “the fastest, free way to pay anyone in bitcoin,” according to screenshots

At the time of publication, it was not clear how users were selected and how many users have received the new feature.

Cash App was not available for immediate comment requested by Blockworks. But Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of Block, which developed Cash App, has been acknowledging and liking tweets on Twitter by Cash App users posting screenshots of their Lightning Network transactions on Cash App. 

Dorsey is the former co-founder and CEO of Twitter. Block, formerly known as Square, owns Cash App, TIDAL and TBD54566975, a platform for decentralized bitcoin exchanges being developed by Dorsey. 

The Lightning Network

Lightning Network is a decentralized protocol that uses smart contracts on top of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Through the network, participants can instantly send, receive or transact payments without creating an on-blockchain transaction for individual payments, according to its website

In February 2019, Dorsey said during an interview that rolling out the Lightning Network on Cash App, is “not an if, it’s more of a when.” Nearly three years later, his plans have come to fruition.

Dorsey has recently been an outspoken advocate for crypto and said that bitcoin will replace the US dollar. He has also that bitcoin will “unite a deeply divided country (and eventually world).”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Unlocked by Template.png

Research

The march toward an interoperable and onchain-by-default internet depends on reliable messaging and value transfer across heterogeneous domains. Crosschain protocols now process >$1.3T in combined annual transfer volume and secure tens of millions of user interactions, yet no single design dominates.

article-image

The goal, per Santiago Santos, is to make crypto a relatable piece of tech for people who may not even understand it

article-image

Stripe stablecoin unit aims to operate under a federal charter enabling regulated stablecoin issuance and custody services

by Blockworks /
article-image

Will TradFi make crypto better or create more problems than it solves?

article-image

Subtle decisions by risk curators saved Aave from significant turmoil

article-image

The new Rootstock Institutional unit aims to connect professional investors to Bitcoin-native yield and liquidity strategies anchored in BTC’s security layer

by Blockworks /
article-image

DOJ files record civil forfeiture against more than 127,000 BTC linked to scam activity

by Blockworks /