African Lightning Adoption Surges Past 847,000 Active Addresses

The African expansion of Strike has led to an increase in active Lightning addresses, reaching 847,000. This number signifies a shift in how users interact with Bitcoin on the continent. To facilitate this growth, Tando integrated M-Pesa, Kenya's mobile money service, into its system. Users can now receive Bitcoin at these addresses without downloading new applications.

Tando's model mimics the success of M-Pesa's rollout in 2007, where users skipped traditional banks for mobile money. Recipients receive a payment notification similar to an M-Pesa transfer. This allows diaspora users to send value to family members without them needing to adopt Bitcoin.

The conversion fee for unclaimed Bitcoin is 1%, lower than the 5% to 10% fees charged by Western Union. Users can also use their phone number for receiving multiple payments over time without needing a new invoice.