Lightning Network Crosses $1 Billion Monthly Volume Milestone
📋 En bref (TL;DR)
- Historic milestone : Lightning Network processed $1.1 billion in November 2025, a record for this Bitcoin payment solution
- 5.2 million transactions : This volume represents growing adoption despite a bearish market in 2025
- Record capacity : The network reached 5,606 BTC locked in December 2025, ensuring transaction liquidity
- Institutional adoption : Secure Digital Markets transferred $1 million to Kraken via Lightning in February
- Growth drivers : Exchanges and businesses accepting Bitcoin payments are driving adoption
- Outlook : River forecasts similar growth with the rise of AI-based payments
The Lightning Network has just crossed a major symbolic milestone. According to a report published by River, this Bitcoin second-layer solution exceeded $1 billion in monthly volume in November 2025, confirming its growing role in the crypto payments ecosystem.
A record despite challenging market conditions
The numbers speak for themselves: $1.1 billion processed across 5.2 million transactions in a single month. What makes this performance remarkable is that it occurred in an unfavorable market context, with Bitcoin’s price declining throughout November 2025.
“Lightning adoption occurred despite the price decline throughout November and a generally sluggish 2025,” notes the River report. This resilience demonstrates that the network’s real utility transcends mere speculation on Bitcoin’s price.
How does the Lightning Network work?
To understand the importance of this milestone, let’s recall how this technology works. The Lightning Network is a “Layer 2” solution — an additional layer built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain.
Its principle is simple: rather than recording each transaction on the main blockchain (which takes an average of 10 minutes per block), the Lightning Network opens payment channels between parties. Transactions occur instantly within these channels, and only the final balance is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain when the channel is closed.
This architecture enables near-instant payments with minimal fees, making Bitcoin usable for everyday purchases — from coffee to online commerce.
Exchanges and institutions adopt Lightning
Network growth is driven by major industry players. In December 2025, the Lightning Network’s total capacity — the number of bitcoins locked to ensure liquidity — reached a record 5,606 BTC.
Even more significant: institutional transactions are starting to use this network. In February 2026, Secure Digital Markets, a company specializing in institutional trading and lending, transferred $1 million to the Kraken exchange via a single Lightning transaction.
This demonstration proves that the network can handle seven-figure amounts between institutional players, paving the way for use cases far beyond the micropayments initially envisioned.
Business-driven adoption
According to Sam Wouters, River’s marketing director, adoption has been “largely driven by exchanges and a growing number of businesses accepting bitcoin payments.”
This trend marks an important evolution. Bitcoin is no longer seen solely as a store of value or speculative asset — it’s beginning to fulfill its original mission as a “peer-to-peer electronic payment system,” as Satoshi Nakamoto described it in the 2008 white paper.
Practical applications are multiplying: merchant payments, instant international transfers, micropayments for digital content. Lightning Network makes all this possible with negligible fees and unmatched speed.
Outlook: AI as the next catalyst
The River report anticipates a new wave of adoption linked to artificial intelligence. Automated payments between AI agents could be the next major use case for the Lightning Network.
Imagine AI systems capable of making micro-transactions in real-time to access services, data, or computing resources. The Lightning Network, with its instant transactions and minimal fees, would be perfectly suited to these emerging uses.
A maturing network
It should be noted that the total number of transactions in 2025 remains below the 2023 peak, when the network reached 6.6 million monthly transactions in August. River attributes this past peak to micropayment experiments in gaming and messaging applications.
This nuance suggests the network is going through a maturation phase: fewer playful experiments, more concrete commercial uses. The quality and value of transactions seem to be taking precedence over mere quantity.
With record capacity, increasing institutional transactions, and AI-related prospects, the Lightning Network is establishing itself as essential infrastructure for Bitcoin’s future as a global payment method.
📚 Glossary
- Lightning Network : A second-layer (Layer 2) solution built on Bitcoin, enabling instant and near-free payments via off-chain payment channels.
- Layer 2 : A protocol built on top of an existing blockchain to improve its scalability, speed, or reduce transaction costs.
- Payment channel : A bidirectional connection between two parties on the Lightning Network, allowing multiple transactions without immediate blockchain recording.
- Capacity (Lightning) : Total amount of bitcoin locked in network channels, determining the liquidity available for transactions.
- Micropayment : A very small value transaction (a few cents), made viable by Lightning Network’s negligible fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lightning Network and why is it important?
The Lightning Network is a second-layer solution for Bitcoin that enables instant payments with minimal fees. It solves Bitcoin’s scalability problem by processing transactions off-chain, only recording the final balance on the blockchain.
How many transactions has the Lightning Network processed?
In November 2025, the network processed $1.1 billion across 5.2 million transactions, setting a new monthly volume record.
Who uses the Lightning Network today?
Main users are crypto exchanges, businesses accepting Bitcoin payments, and increasingly institutions. Secure Digital Markets notably transferred $1 million via Lightning in February 2026.
What are the prospects for the Lightning Network?
River forecasts continued growth driven by commercial adoption and AI-related automated payments. Network capacity has already reached 5,606 BTC, a historic record.
📰 Sources
This article is based on the following sources:
- Cointelegraph – Lightning Network surpasses $1 billion monthly
- Bitcoin Magazine – Bitcoin’s Lightning Network Passes $1 Billion In Monthly Volume
- River (X/Twitter) – Original report data
How to cite this article: Fibo Crypto. (2026). Lightning Network Crosses $1 Billion Monthly Volume Milestone. Retrieved from https://fibo-crypto.fr/en/blog/lightning-network-1-billion-monthly-volume
