Voltage, the well-known company that builds tools for Bitcoin payments, has introduced a new credit product for businesses. The product lets companies send instant payments using Bitcoin’s technology, but repay the borrowed money in U.S. dollars. This means businesses can use Bitcoin’s fast payment system without actually holding the digital asset.

The new product is called Voltage Credit. It works like a normal revolving line of credit from a bank. A business can borrow what it needs, pay interest only on the amount used, and then reuse the credit after repayment.

The difference is that the companies now get to move payments over the lightning network, a system built on Bitcoin that allows transactions to settle in seconds instead of days.

This new feature allows the companies to spend sats they don’t have on the Lightning Network, and then pay back the price in US dollars when their statement is due.

CEO Graham Krizek said the goal is to remove a major barrier for companies. He said:

Until now, businesses that wanted to use Bitcoin payments faced tough choices. They could buy bitcoin in advance and tie up their cash. They could sell bitcoin whenever they needed to pay bills, which might trigger taxes. Or they could avoid Bitcoin completely and stick with slower, more expensive banking systems. Voltage says its credit line removes these problems.

Instead of requiring bitcoin as collateral, Voltage looks at a company’s payment activity. Because the company runs the Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure for its clients, it can see transaction volumes in real time. This allows Voltage to set and adjust credit limits based on how much business a company is actually doing.

“We don’t just see your collateral, we see your revenue,” Krizek said in the company’s original announcement. “We see your growth. We see the operational health of your business in a way that legacy financial institutions are structurally blind to.”

The Lightning Network is a payment layer built on top of Bitcoin. It allows people and companies to send money almost instantly with very low fees. Payments happen off the main Bitcoin blockchain and are later settled on it. This makes the system faster and cheaper than traditional Bitcoin transactions.

Voltage recently supported a $1 million Lightning payment between Secure Digital Markets and Kraken. The transfer settled nearly instantly and was described as the first publicly reported seven-figure Lightning transaction. The company says this showed that the network is ready for large, institutional payments.

Voltage Credit is aimed at both Bitcoin companies and traditional businesses. Bitcoin-native firms like exchanges and miners can use it to manage cash flow without selling bitcoin.

Traditional companies can use Bitcoin’s fast payment system without ever holding the asset itself. Repayment can be made in U.S. dollars from a regular bank account, which simplifies accounting.

The product has no origination fees and charges a fixed annual interest rate on outstanding balances. According to company statements, the structure is designed to be simple and predictable for finance teams.

“For CFOs and treasury teams, this solves a real problem,” said Bobby Shell, Vice President of Marketing at Voltage. “You get the instant settlement and near-zero fees of Lightning without the treasury complexity. No forced crypto exposure, no guessing how much capital to lock up.”