Share this article
Coinbase CEO Confirms Exchange Will Support Lightning, Which Dramatically Speeds Up Bitcoin Payments
Brian Armstrong, while announcing the decision, calls BTC “the most important asset in crypto.”
Updated Sep 13, 2023, 3:52 p.m. Published Sep 13, 2023, 3:32 p.m.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says the crypto exchange will indeed add support for the Lightning Network, one of the biggest endorsements yet for the blockchain that makes bitcoin (BTC) a more realistic option for payments by dramatically speeding up transactions.
The company had said in early August that it was looking into Lightning support. On Wednesday, Armstrong said on X (formerly Twitter) that this review was over and Coinbase has “made the decision to integrate Lightning”
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The team did a great job digging into this, and we've made the decision to integrate Lightning. Bitcoin is the most important asset in crypto and we're excited to do our part to enable faster/cheaper Bitcoin transactions. Will take some time to integrate so please be patient. https://t.co/FneeXkLI25
— Brian Armstrong 🛡️ (@brian_armstrong) September 13, 2023
He also took the time to praise bitcoin, calling it “the most important asset in crypto.” Back in August, when discussing the Lightning review, he had said: “I’m all for payments taking off in Bitcoin.”
Lightning is a layer-2 blockchain associated with the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin transactions can be offloaded there for more efficient – and much faster – processing, a prerequisite if BTC has a shot at eventually becoming a common method of payment.
“Bitcoin is the world’s digital monetary system, and Lightning is Bitcoin’s payments layer,” Cathie Wood, the head of Coinbase’s second-biggest shareholder, ARK Invest, wrote on X in response to Armstrong’s post Wednesday. “Coinbase’s integration with Lightning will give its 100 million users an on-ramp to faster and cheaper bitcoin transactions. Hats off to Coinbase!”
Coinbase’s stock was recently up 1.4% following the news.
Armstrong said that while his team is working on integrating Lighting, it will take some time to do so.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Turkey's Paribu Buys CoinMENA in $240M Deal, Expanding Into High-Growth Crypto Markets
With the acquisition, Paribu gains regulatory foothold in Bahrain and Dubai and access to the region's fast-growing crypto user base.
What to know:
- Paribu acquires Bahrain- and Dubai-based CoinMENA for up to $240 million.
- Deal marks Turkey’s biggest fintech acquisition and first international crypto M&A, the firm said.
- The move taps into the MENA region’s fast-growing crypto user base and supportive regulatory hubs.
Top Stories
