The Lightning Network is positioned to process approximately $9 billion in stablecoin transfers by 2028, according to industry projections. This growth trajectory could see the Bitcoin scaling solution capturing at least 5% of the global stablecoin market, leveraging its near-instant settlement and minimal transaction costs.
Recent technical advances underpin this projection: Tether deployed native USDT support on the Lightning Network, while Lightning Labs released Taproot Assets v0.6. This protocol upgrade facilitates seamless stablecoin transfers directly on Bitcoin, eliminating intermediary steps. Current infrastructure includes approximately 14,000 operational nodes and 44,800 channels, securing about 3,820 BTC ($448 million) in total capacity.
Broader accessibility fuels Network adoption, with over 700 million users having indirect access through integrated exchanges, wallets, and payment services. Regulatory developments such as proposed U.S. legislation recognize such scaling networks as viable infrastructure for stablecoin efficiency.
The technology addresses limitations of traditional stablecoin transfers through Bitcoin-native settlement. Current daily stablecoin volumes hover around $180 billion globally, with Lightning Network solutions enabling faster, more cost-effective transactions.