Blockstream Swaps Launches, Bolstering Bitcoin Cross-Layer Infrastructure
Blockstream has introduced Blockstream Swaps, a new service that enables users to move funds trustlessly between Bitcoin's mainchain, Lightning Network, and Liquid sidechain using atomic swaps.
The launch follows the recent suspension of Boltz, a competing swap service, due to AI-driven attacks. Blockstream Swaps uses HTLC-based atomic swaps to ensure secure, intermediary-free transactions, supporting submarine swaps that convert on-chain BTC to Liquid Bitcoin and route payments through Lightning.
Currently in beta, the service aims to enhance Bitcoin's cross-layer infrastructure without replacing existing platforms, with a broader rollout planned but no specific timeline announced. The introduction of Blockstream Swaps comes as Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin acknowledged Bitcoin developers' innovations, particularly Utreexo, as influential in shaping Ethereum's scaling strategy.