Bitcoin Makes Progress in Clearing Backlog, but Lightning Network Capacity and Channels Dropped Amid Congestion

In the past week, the Bitcoin network has made progress in resolving its congestion issues. On May 7, 2023, the number of unconfirmed transactions reached an all-time high of over 500,000 transfers, causing a major backlog. However, as of today, that…

Bitcoin Community Divided: Scaling Challenges Trigger Intense Debate as Mempool Overflows

This week, the Bitcoin community has been abuzz with discussions about the network’s scaling challenges. As the blockchain’s transfer fees continue to surge, the backlog of transactions stuck in the mempool has hit an unprecedented high. Crypto enthusiasts have been sharing…

Binance Announces Lightning Network Withdrawal Implementation Amidst Bitcoin Network Congestion Issues

Binance has announced its intention of implementing Lightning Network, a layer 2 Bitcoin scaling protocol, on its platform after experiencing an episode of congestion regarding withdrawals on the Bitcoin network. The exchange had to pause bitcoin withdrawals twice due to a…

Bitcoin Network Overwhelmed by 390,000 Unconfirmed Transactions and Surging Fees

In just under two weeks, the number of unconfirmed transactions on the Bitcoin network has skyrocketed from 134,000 to over 390,000, causing a bottleneck in the mempool. This surge in unconfirmed transactions has resulted in a staggering 343% increase in transaction…

Xapo Bank Integrates Lightning Network Payments Through Lightspark Partnership

On March 2, Xapo Bank announced its partnership with Lightspark, a company led by David Marcus, former crypto boss at Facebook. The partnership aims to extend the utility of bitcoin and the Lightning Network. Xapo revealed on Thursday that it is…

Bitcoin Core’s Version 24.0 Full-RBF Proposal Sparks Controversy, Synonym CEO Calls ‘Pet Agenda’ an ‘Attack’

During the last few weeks, a number of individuals have been discussing the upcoming release of Bitcoin Core version 24.0 and how the codebase will include full-replace-by-fee (RBF) logic. The discussion has become controversial as a few Lightning Network and zero…

Crypto Payments Firm Bitpay Adds MATIC Support, Panini America to Accept Polygon Payments

Bitcoin and crypto payment services provider Bitpay has announced that the company now supports the Polygon (MATIC) network. According to the firm, Bitpay app users will be able to store, trade, and spend MATIC later this week, and the collectibles company…

Fintech Firm Galoy Raises $4 Million, Startup Introduces Bitcoin-Backed Synthetic Dollar Product

On Wednesday, Galoy, the firm behind El Salvador’s Bitcoin Beach Wallet, announced that the company raised $4 million in funding in an investment round led by Hivemind Ventures. On the same day, the startup launched a new product called Stablesats, a…

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Thinks Bitcoin Has No Future as a Payments Network

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has given his take regarding the future of Bitcoin’s usage. Bankman-Fried stated he doesn’t believe that Bitcoin will work as a payments network, due to its limited capability for scaling to fulfill…

Bitpay Adds Lightning Network, Youth Fashion Brand Pacsun to Accept Payments via Lightning

On April 6, one of the largest cryptocurrency payment platforms in the world, Bitpay, announced the Atlanta-based company has integrated bitcoin payments via the Lightning Network. According to the announcement on Wednesday, the youth-focused American retail clothing brand Pacific Sunwear (Pacsun)…