In a significant move that promises to reshape the cryptocurrency payments landscape, Revolut has announced a strategic partnership with Lightspark to integrate Bitcoin's Lightning Network into its platform. This collaboration will bring innovative payment infrastructure to Revolut users across the UK and select European Economic Area (EEA) countries, enabling faster, more affordable cryptocurrency transactions.
Eliminating Wait Times and High Fees
The partnership addresses two major pain points in cryptocurrency transactions: lengthy processing times and excessive network fees. By leveraging Lightspark's Lightning Network infrastructure, Revolut will offer its customers near-instantaneous transactions with minimal fees, making Bitcoin significantly more practical for everyday use.
This development connects Revolut to what Lightspark calls the "open Money Grid," joining numerous other fintech companies and digital wallets that have embraced next-generation payment solutions like Lightning transactions and Universal Money Address (UMA).
Industry Leaders Weigh In
Emil Urmanshin, General Manager of Crypto at Revolut, highlighted the strategic alignment between the companies: "Integrating with Lightspark is a natural step forward. We're always looking for ways to offer faster and more affordable financial solutions — and their approach to global transactions enables us to do exactly that."
David Marcus, CEO and Co-founder of Lightspark, emphasized the transformative potential of the partnership: "Revolut is at the forefront of modern finance, and we're thrilled to help power this integration. The future of money is real-time, low-cost, and borderless—exactly what Lightspark solves for. For too long, traditional banks have relied on outdated, slow, and expensive payment systems — akin to dial-up when the rest of the world uses 5G. In a world with a new, open Money Grid that enables instant, seamless transactions, we're excited to see a global fintech such as Revolut lead the way."
Part of a Growing Trend
This partnership aligns with an emerging trend among neobanks to incorporate Lightning Network capabilities. As detailed in a recent analysis from Neobanque.ch, financial institutions are increasingly recognizing the potential of Lightning-powered solutions to enhance their service offerings and maintain competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving digital banking landscape.
Implementation Timeline
While the announcement marks a significant step forward for both companies, Coindesk has reported that no specific timeline has been provided for when the feature will go live for Revolut users.
The Bigger Picture
Lightspark's mission centers on connecting exchanges, wallets, and digital banks to what it terms the "Money Grid" — an integrated network that leverages blockchain technology to enable seamless, borderless transactions. With Revolut's massive user base now poised to access this infrastructure, the partnership represents one of the most significant mainstream adoptions of Lightning Network technology to date.
For Revolut users, this development promises a faster, more powerful payments experience that could fundamentally change how they interact with cryptocurrencies on a daily basis.
This article was informed by the May 7, 2025 announcement from Lightspark and additional reporting.