SoFi Taps Bitcoin Lightning Network for Global Remittances With Lightspark

SoFi Technologies (SOFI) will soon allow remittance payments on top of the Bitcoin layer-2 Lightning Network through a partnership with Lightspark, aiming to bring real-time international money transfers to its members.

The San Francisco-based fintech firm will integrate Lightspark’s Universal Money Address (UMA), which runs on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, to facilitate near-instant cross-border payments, SoFi announced on Tuesday.

Lightning is a layer-2 network designed to help fulfill Bitcoin’s original vision of becoming global, peer-to-peer digital cash. By creating a network of off-chain payment channels, it circumvents the slow transaction times and high fees of the main Bitcoin blockchain, enabling instant, high-volume micropayments. This scalability layer could transform Bitcoin into a practical medium for everyday transactions, making it a viable alternative to traditional payment systems.

SoFi’s remittance product, which is expected to roll out later this year, will allow users to send U.S. dollars through the SoFi app, with recipients receiving local currency deposits abroad.

Lightspark’s UMA provides access to a global payment rail designed for speed and scale. Transfers will display upfront exchange rates and fees, addressing longstanding pain points in traditional remittance services, SoFi said in Tuesday’s announcement.

The launch follows SoFi’s reentry into crypto, after halting services in 2023 during its transition to a national bank. Earlier this year, it revealed plans to offer international remittances through blockchain and stablecoins and allow users to invest in crypto.

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