By Roy Sheinfeld
Source: https://blog.breez.technology/lightning-is-the-common-language-of-the-bitcoin-economy-eb8515341c11
This article was cited as a key insight in the opening speech at the Tuscan Lightning Conference 2025. The video of the speech can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDYrGPb__cA
One of the biggest rewards of starting Breez is that I get to meet and work with so many different people. Breez has partners in Jamaica , the United States , Switzerland , Germany , Canada , Estonia , and even in who knows where. We have users in Finland , Wales , Namibia , India , and just about everywhere in the world. Breez has employees on three continents, with a very diverse nationality and ethnic background.
Sometimes it takes some coordination just to agree on a platform to communicate (Telegram? Slack? Zoom? Discord?). But the only thing that doesn’t take time to coordinate is the language we use to communicate. English is always the automatic choice for everyone. For some of us, English is only a second (or even third or fourth) language, and sometimes the words don’t make sense, but it doesn’t matter. All first contacts are in English, all communication channels are in English, and all public communications (such as this blog) are in English. There is not even a second contender.
And there's basically no way to change that convention. No one can just tell us all to switch to speaking Mandarin, Esperanto, or Inuktitut. Whether it's due to convention, practical utility, historical influence, or sheer numbers, English wins out. But it works, so why mention it?
This example illustrates a few things. First, in networks of individual nodes — people, countries, communities — the interface between nodes is in the form of language. Second, there needs to be a common language. In fact, the limitations of the language are the limitations of the network. In other words, the distribution of the language defines the specific network . Finally, common languages are very stubborn. Once everyone accepts a common language, they are basically locked in.
Now, one fact is irreversibly shaping the future: Lightning payments are becoming the lingua franca of the Bitcoin economy.
- Lightning payment is the Tower of Babel of the Bitcoin world, but no one wants it to collapse. (Image source: Wikimedia ) -
Common language between subnetworks
We’ve discussed a number of technologies that build the last mile. They’re like local secondary roads that connect users to the higher throughput Lightning Network (and eventually to the Bitcoin mainnet). Basically, they all work by tying users and their transactions to a subnetwork.
For example, Ark and Liquid will transfer the incoming Bitcoin to their own mechanisms ( VTXOs and L-BTC , respectively), and then users can pay each other according to the corresponding protocols without having to issue a special on-chain transaction. In addition, Fedimint 's approach is that members pool Bitcoin together and then exchange IOUs with each other, and the status of transactions and finances is supervised by a trusted guardian alliance. As for Cashu , people use Bitcoin to pay for e-cash tokens, and need to trust the entity that issues these tokens.
Each subnetwork has its own language. So how do nodes in these subnetworks communicate with nodes in another subnetwork? The interesting part is that these subnetworks communicate with each other through lightning payments , even if it is two mints using Cashu protocol, or a Fedimint alliance and an Ark instance. Lightning payments are the common language of all these emerging Bitcoin-based subnetworks.
Back to the English analogy. It's none of my business what language you speak at home or in the supermarket. You can speak whatever dialect you like as long as the other person can understand you. But if you want to chat with me or anyone else on Telegram or Slack, English is the only language you can use. No one can change that, even if they want to, and it seems like no one wants to. Just like Lightning payments.
Lightning payments are the lingua franca of the emerging self-network. It’s the language of Bitcoin!
Why Lightning Payments is the Best Language for Bitcoin
A universal language is not necessarily the best language. It just has to be able to express clearly and be widely accepted. Just like the Bitcoin main chain, it has specific advantages (for example, immutability, openness, borderlessness, etc.) and is very suitable for specific purposes, but Lightning Payment is the most suitable universal language for sub-network coordination for at least three reasons.
- Layered networks interact through a common language. (Image source: Adobe Firefly) -
Lightning payment is Bitcoin, and Bitcoin is a trustless bearer asset
The first (and probably most important) reason why Lightning is the best lingua franca is that it uses Bitcoin . In simple terms, these subnetworks may not trust each other, and indeed have no reason to trust each other. But because Bitcoin and Lightning (a Bitcoin plugin) circumvent the trust problem , these subnetworks can interact trustlessly. Bitcoin is the only reliable bearer asset, and Lightning is the language of Bitcoin, so Lightning is the best lingua franca for the subnetworks to interact with each other.
Moreover, Lightning, like Bitcoin, is leverage-free. The entire business model of fractional reserve banks is based on the black hole in their balance sheets. However, every Satoshi in Lightning is accounted for at every moment. If there is a balance sheet that shows the distribution of free funds in the Lightning Network, it is always balanced . There are no omissions, no overspending. Lightning resists the imbalance caused by hubris, incompetence, and evil, which is an inevitable attribute of a trustless environment.
Lightning payments are inherently transactional and interoperable
Second, Lightning is a transactional protocol designed to coordinate the movement of money. Regular Lightning payments don’t have a transaction pool, and they don’t need to wait for the next block to be mined. Even if they take a while, they only take a few seconds . And transactions — the movement of money — are what makes the Lightning Network valuable. It’s only natural . Satoshis sitting still in the network don’t earn anything. In order for liquidity to grow in the Lightning Network, money must first flow. There is no universal language in silence. It must encourage transactions, and that’s what the Lightning Network does.
Furthermore, the Lightning Payments technology detailed in the BOLT specification is inherently interoperable. It is designed to allow for multiple Lightning node implementations (with different design goals, tradeoffs, and programming languages). All of these nodes interact through a common network because they all support the same set of BOLT. Interoperability is guaranteed by design, making it easy for other technologies to add Lightning Payments as an interface.
Lightning Network has critical mass
Finally, becoming a lingua franca requires a large community of speakers. Imagine saying “ skibidi rizz ” in a retirement home, or even, more extreme, in a retirement home in Cambodia. Perhaps the greatest advantage of English is the sheer number of people who speak it: it is the most widely spoken language on earth . While in many countries only a quarter of the inhabitants speak English, in almost every bar and restaurant you can find someone who speaks English at the next table. Replace “English” with “Catalan” in the sentence above. Would it still work?
The Lightning Network has already achieved critical mass. It’s already clear how the Cashu subnetwork and the Fedimint subnetwork are going to communicate: Lightning payments. That’s how they were designed, so switching the common language between networks would require them to start over. Just like English — no matter what language a subnetwork uses internally, Lightning payments are the language they use to communicate, and that’s locked in.
The vitality of the Lightning Network
Real lightning — the kind that surges through rain clouds — is a fleeting phenomenon. It lights up the sky for a split second and then disappears completely. That’s all lightning is. But the Lightning Network — the nodes, subnet members, and even the interface mainnet— is here to stay. It will remain a lingua franca for centuries .
Bitcoin is the best currency in the world. Lightning payments are the lingua franca of the Bitcoin world and they are here to stay. For users who have already set up Lightning nodes, this is very good news. The fact that Lightning payments are already in place means that our first-mover advantage will be very valuable.
But it’s also good news for those who are joining the Lightning Network, or are considering it. It removes the uncertainty about which technology will get support and investment. The Lightning Network isn’t going anywhere, so it’s never too late to get started. Yesterday is better than today , now is better than tomorrow, and tomorrow is better than never.
The best time to join the Lightning Network is now . It’s never too late.
(over)
