- Relai, the Swiss Bitcoin app with a self-custody wallet, is bringing the Lightning Network to its 100,000+ European users.
- The feature is released in partnership with Blockstream and Breez, both infrastructure providers and Lightning pioneers.
- Relai users can use the Lightning Network in a self-custodial manner to send and receive sats directly to their wallets.
- The Bitcoin-only startup plans to use the Lightning Network as the scaling solution to onboard more users to Bitcoin on a fast track.
Zurich, 13th of March 2024—Relai, the popular Bitcoin-only app from Switzerland, is happy to announce the launch of the Lightning Network in their self-custodial wallet. The last two months have been an incredible start to 2024 for the Bitcoin-only startup from Zurich, with a YoY growth of 350% in January and the closing of a new financial round in December 2023.
Now, the start-up has set its eyes on a new challenge: Enabling the Lightning Network in a self-custodial manner for its 100,000+ users in Europe. The Lightning Network has quickly emerged as the go-to scaling solution for Bitcoin. It’s an effective solution to lower transaction costs and use Bitcoin in everyday situations.
Relai is partnering with Blockstream and Breez to offer and enable Lightning’s advantages. Both provide a non-custodial “Lightning-as-a-Service” solution by integrating Blockstream’s Greenlight cloud nodes with the Breez SDK’s Lightning Service Providers (LSPs) and on-chain interoperability services.
These companies are titans in the industry and a great resource for Relai. The interoperability of Blockstreams’ Core Lightning implementation and rollout via Greenlight service allows Relai to use a trusted Bitcoin company with a decade of experience.
Crucially, the Breez SDK provides the ideal development experience, giving Relai a holistic solution that includes liquidity and other services required to successfully and seamlessly integrate Lightning.
“Bitcoin is sound money. Lightning is the future of Bitcoin. It’s how money will be moved around the world in the 21st century. That’s why Lightning is a strategic focus of Relai and will be integral to our mission of bringing BTC to millions of people quickly, easily, and securely!” said Julian Liniger, CEO of Relai.
The roll-out of Lightning is one of the first steps in the new product offering and lineup of Relai and part of their European expansion later this year and into 2025 with the goal of getting the MiCA license to offer the services to everyone in Europe.
About Relai
The Zurich-based startup was founded by Julian Liniger and Adem Bilican in 2020. Relai’s Bitcoin-only app is designed to be simple and intuitive, allowing anyone to buy and sell bitcoin within minutes, with no registration, verification, or deposit required. Independently audited and with a trading volume of over $300 million, Relai is serving the next generation of long-term investors by giving them a simple, user-friendly, and secure way to save Bitcoin. In August 2022, Relai was named one of the top startups to watch by Sifted, and in September 2023, it was listed as one of the top 100 Swiss startups. Learn more at relai.app.
About Blockstream
Blockstream is the global leader in Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure. Blockstream’s sidechain technology (Liquid Network) enables trustless Bitcoin swap settlements and secure, dependable smart-contracts while empowering financial institutions to tokenize assets. Blockstream Mining provides colocation services to miners, across multiple enterprise-class mining facilities.
Blockstream’s Core Lightning implementation of the open Lightning Network protocol is the go-to code for enterprise Lightning Network deployments on Bitcoin. Blockstream Jade is an easy-to-use, open-source hardware wallet that offers advanced security for Bitcoin and Liquid assets. Blockstream Green is the world’s most advanced consumer Bitcoin wallet. Blockstream was founded in 2014, with offices and team members distributed around the world.
About Breez
Breez, a pioneering force in the world of Lightning technology, was established in 2018 with a visionary mission: to make Bitcoin a widely accepted currency by leveraging Lightning as its primary payment infrastructure. Through a legacy of unwavering integrity and a spirit of relentless innovation within the Lightning community, Breez’s open platform unites users, developers, liquidity providers, and various complementary services under the Lightning umbrella. Empowering developers, the Breez SDK offers a seamless pathway to incorporate Lightning payments into their applications and services. Learn more at breez.technology.
Press Contacts
Joël Kai Lenz, PR Manager — Email: joel@relai.app
Imo Babics, Chief Marketing Officer — Email: imo@relai.app
