Coinbase CEO Says Bitcoin Lightning Is “Something We Want To Integrate”

Bitcoin (BTC) layer 2 scaling solution Lightning may join cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase in some capacity, according to CEO Brian Armstrong.

In an April 8 tweet, Armstrong said that “Lightning is great and something we want to integrate” in response to a tweet criticizing him for “actively ignoring” the network.

Armstrong did not provide further details on what a Lightning integration with Coinbase would entail or when it might be expected.

Coinbase, along with Binance and the now-bankrupt FTX, have previously been called out for not integrating the Lightning network that enables faster and cheaper BTC transactions than the Bitcoin base network.

According to a GitHub repository by Lightning enthusiast David Coen, Coinbase will join Bitfinex, Kraken and OKX as the largest trading platforms to have integrated Lightning, if Armstrong stays true to his word.

Coen had previously suggested that Lightning integration may go against the business plan of many of these trading platforms, “since the priority seems to be to integrate as many altcoins as possible and follow the trends in the market.”

Armstrong claims to have been testing out a Lightning network application in recent days, and sent Cointelegraph reporter Joseph Hall $100 in BTC after Hall shared a video of himself using Bitcoin in Senegal.

$100 was a prize by Armstrong for those who shared the “best” examples of how people are using crypto in Africa. Hall said he would give away the funds to onboard others for Bitcoin.

Hall reportedbut that he hasn’t received the payment, prompting Bitcoiner Derek Ross to do so suggest that Armstrong “needs a lesson in lightning.”

Coinbase has recently been more active in the Ethereum ecosystem after launching “Base” on February 23 – an Ethereum layer 2 application-focused network powered by other layer 2 optimism.

Related: Bitcoin Lightning Network growth is organic, coming from the real world

Interestingly, Armstrong wrote a “Scaling Bitcoin” article in January 2016, in which he said he would throw support behind Bitcoin scaling solutions:

“We also did it to show our support for scaling Bitcoin, and encourage things to move forward, as we want to see a solution sooner rather than later.”

Lightning launched roughly two years later in March 2018, with last month marking the fifth anniversary of the network.

Cointelegraph reached out to Coinbase for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Blade: Bitcoin in Senegal: Why is this African country using BTC?