In a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine, Japanese Lightning Network community Diamond Hands is accelerating Lightning adoption via a partnership with bitcoin-only game developer ZEBEDEE and Mimesis Capital, a bitcoin-centric family office.
Diamond Hands will provide access to a large Bitcoin community in Japan for ZEBEDEE to establish infrastructure and serve as a local concierge for Japanese enterprises on behalf of both companies. Mimesis will work together with Diamond Hands in navigating the Lightning Network ecosystem and consulting with businesses in Asia who wish to adopt Lightning.
“The Diamond Hands community has played an integral role for Lightning adoption for both individuals and enterprises in Japan since last year, but we are looking to push this even further by collaborating with international companies and communities,” said Koji Higashi, co-organizer of Diamond Hands.
Christian Moss, co-founder and head of R&D at ZEBEDEE, noted the rich gaming culture and early bitcoin adoption in Japan contributed to the success of earlier Bitcoin games he had developed.
“I believe that once users in Asia also experience Lightning gaming for themselves then we will see an explosion of adoption and innovation in the region. With a ZEBEDEE/Diamond Hands partnership, we are one step closer to making this happen,” Moss stated in the release.
While ZEBEDEE builds gaming infrastructure for Asia with the help of Diamond Hands, Louis Liu, founder and CEO of Mimesis Capital looks to further business adoption in the region.
“I believe there is a lack of awareness of Lightning in Asia. There is a lot of room to improve. Through our partnership with Diamond Hands, we are able to provide education and consultation to local and international businesses based in Asia,” Liu said.
Diamond Hands operates one of the largest Lightning routing nodes on the market with 450 channels, with over 18 BTC valued at more than $720,000 USD, and distributes more than two million sats every month in a routing bonus program to eligible nodes.
Funding secured for Diamond Hands through new partnerships and sponsors will fund the routing bonus, the creation of educational content, and experimental Lightning projects.
“We’re very excited to help unlock Lightning’s true potential by working with new partners and looking for even more productive collaborations in the future as well,” Higashi concluded.