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Block Rolls Out Lightning-Powered Bitcoin Checkout to 4 Million Square Merchants

Sellers get instant dollar conversion at the terminal or can hold coins.

Overview

  • Square’s Bitcoin payments are now live for roughly 4 million merchants, enabling Lightning-based BTC acceptance at in-person and online checkout.
  • Transactions settle nearly instantly over the Lightning Network, and sellers can choose to receive funds in BTC or auto-convert to USD, with options to automate partial conversions.
  • Square is waiving processing fees on Bitcoin payments during a promotional period, reported by outlets as lasting either through 2026 or until 2027.
  • The broad rollout follows an October pilot at Compass Coffee in Washington, D.C., and excludes New York at launch due to regulatory hurdles.
  • The launch builds on Block’s Bitcoin ecosystem, including Cash App trading and the BitKey wallet, alongside a corporate reserve reported at over 8,000 BTC.