This week, the friction to spend Bitcoin took a major hit. Cash App removed fees on Lightning payments for its millions of users, while on the ground, merchant networks kept expanding — from BTC Map adding 1,200 new merchants in January to the Dominican Republic standing up its own sovereign wallet and Lightning node. The message is clear: the rails are ready, and the on-ramps are getting cheaper.
The Big Move: Cash App announced no-fee bitcoin spending via the Lightning Network, alongside zero fees on recurring buys, zero spread on stacking, and higher withdrawal limits. This turns one of America's most popular finance apps into a frictionless Lightning spending tool.
Miles Suter, Bitcoin lead at Cash App, broke down the details: 0 fee, 0 spread when you stack, get paid, or round up — plus free Lightning spending and higher limits for qualifying users.
Spotlight: The Dominican Republic Goes Sovereign
Bitcoin Dominicana launched a community Bitcoin wallet at clavo.lat along with its own Lightning node — framing it as "sovereign Bitcoin infrastructure for community privacy" built in the Caribbean. This is a shift from isolated merchant demos to locally owned payment infrastructure.
The same week, the team activated BitTasker in Santo Domingo — a task marketplace where locals earn sats for real work. When you combine a local wallet, a local node, and a local earn-and-spend loop, you get the blueprint for a circular economy.
1) Merchant & Enterprise Adoption
Bitcoin's merchant footprint is scaling through discovery tools, POS hardware, and direct advocacy to activate existing terminal networks.
- BTC Map Growth: The global merchant directory added 1,200 new merchants in January alone, hit 1 million views, and shipped improved search and onboarding flows. That's the discovery layer getting stronger every month.
- Bitcoinize POS: The hardware maker reports 2,000 POS devices deployed across 41 countries — though it candidly notes the Bitcoin payments market is "very, very small" and is exploring a non-profit model for sustainability. Real talk about a real constraint.
- Square in Canada: The Bitcoin Coalition of Canada publicly asked Square to activate Bitcoin payments on Canadian terminals, pointing to the U.S. where Square has reportedly enabled BTC on millions of devices. The ask: bring that capability north.
2) Payment Infrastructure & Access
From sports ticketing to Zapper-enabled retail, Lightning is showing up in new checkout flows — and the spending guides are getting practical.
- Match Tickets via Lightning: In South Africa, you can now buy sports tickets "in about a minute" using Bitcoin Lightning via MoneyBadgerPay and Zapper. Time-sensitive, consumer checkout — not a lab demo.
- Zapper Merchants: BitcoinFriendlySA published a guide showing how to pay with Bitcoin at any South African business that accepts Zapper — including Terbodore, Lazari, and Col'Cacchio. This piggybacks on an existing merchant network instead of building from scratch.
- Lightning Dev Bootcamp: The inaugural Lightning Developer Bootcamp in Johannesburg brought developers together to run nodes, create wallets, and execute transactions hands-on. Building the talent pipeline that keeps these rails running.
3) Circular Economy & Ground-Level Proofs
The strongest evidence that Bitcoin works as money comes from the communities where it circulates daily — not as a novelty, but as a necessity.
- 200 Sats Per Item: At Bitcoin Ekasi's community thrift store, residents buy clothes for 200 sats per item. They save sats in their wallets and come back for new stock. That's a savings-and-spending loop in action.
- Livingstone Airport: Restaurants at Livingstone airport in Zambia now accept "dollars or bitcoin" — high-visibility acceptance in a travel context, while locals in town are learning to use Bitcoin for everyday payments.
- Anambra State, Nigeria: BitcoinAnambra reports Bitcoin is "used as money everyday" in the state, with merchants publishing Blink payment addresses and BTC Map listings to make spending repeatable.
- El Zonte Farmers Market: At the Bitcoin Farmers Market in El Salvador, "everyone accepts Bitcoin." Dense acceptance in a single venue means everyday shopping — not just a one-off demo.
The Long Game
Blink published a piece this week on building sustainable Bitcoin circular economies — what it calls the "No Mushroom" philosophy. Real adoption is a long game built on 15+ years of trust, not vanity metrics. That perspective grounds everything we track in this brief.
The pattern is consistent: lower fees at the app layer, broader merchant reach through existing rails, and grassroots communities proving that Bitcoin works as everyday money. Stay tuned for next week's brief.
