it says it’s custodial. is that the innovation? 
For all the merchants looking to accept Lightning in their nostr:npub155m2k8ml8sqn8w4dhh689vdv0t2twa8dgvkpnzfggxf4wfughjsq2cdcvg stores, I highly recommend checking out this newly launched plugin from nostr:npub13ljnkd633c7maxatymv3y2fqq8vt3qk7j3tt0vytv90eztwgha9qmfcfhw!
This is a HUGE deal - once you have Blink account and tie it through Lightning connection, not only can you seamlessly accept payments without worrying about channel management and liquidity, but you also have the option to hedge in StableSats USD.
Here's a trailer showcasing the plugin in action:
And then blog post on Blink's website explains all the details of setup and vision behind plugin: https://www.blink.sv/blog/introducing-the-blink-plugin-for-btcpay-server
So far in my own testing everything is working very smoothly; I'll continue to explore and play with the tech, as this has absolute potential for use in all my merchant setups and workshops at the conferences.
Finally - h/t to nostr:npub1y24gz5gwucl79vtv4ctwpysl0r5m4xyzu2rgulnr44ks3t5mt92q4nz2ad who is the coding powerhouse behind the plugin. It's all FOSS, so check out git repo on: https://github.com/Kukks/BTCPayServerPlugins/tree/master/Plugins/BTCPayServer.Plugins.Blink
Discussion
From the lens of a merchant who is not a BTC/LN wizard the benefits would be:
1) automagically receive payments quickly, cheaply (dont have to care about how LN works, manage my channels, liquidity)
2) have the option of not dealing with btc price volatility when accepting
Custodial seems the trade-off for 1).
i thought the whole point of using btcpay server was self sovereignty
🌶️ question. Lets ask this to nostr:npub155m2k8ml8sqn8w4dhh689vdv0t2twa8dgvkpnzfggxf4wfughjsq2cdcvg team:
Wen non-custodial auto-magic LN pay accept solution?
Is custodial necessary for stablesats?
BTCPay App has been announced and worked at.
USD in my view will always be custodial in some manner because it's a fiat tech.
Finally - I don't understand why need for 🌶️ and negativity. Like why create drama online - if you don't like something - hit me up in DMs - tell me what is the problem and what you want me to do. Let's not use my posts to drag down cool FOSS tech that can be used to onboard more merchants.
only spiciness i see here is you calling my posts “drags” 😂
This is a plugin Galoy / Blink developed with Kukks in his free time.
Base BTCPay Server has LND integrated in the stack so you can use it in fully self sovereign way for over 5 years... I've done integration and supported it ever since.
More options to BTCPayServer customers seems like a win to me. Well done, sers 🤝
🫂
I am not a BTCPay customer today, and I anticipate a feature request that may benefit BTCPay customers by reducing the custodial risk nostr:npub1j8y6tcdfw3q3f3h794s6un0gyc5742s0k5h5s2yqj0r70cpklqeqjavrvg :
If custodial account reaches (a user set, non trivial amount of) X sats, automagically transfer from my custodial to my non-custodial wallet.
Already possible with Prism plugin I believe 😉
It's the flow they used at Baltic Honeybadger last year
🔥 BTCPay is already in the future.
One further product learning from Damus for yalls consideration: if something is hidden deep in settings, many people will never find it.
🫂
I would call it being upfront and direct about the tradeoff that is made: convenience and ease-of-use for sovereignty and full control.
The alternatives are either being technical and running a server yourself or going through extensive KYC and then using closed source services where you pay a % of your revenue as fees.
Blink X BTCPay is offering merchants a middleground with a reliable service on open source software and just a phone number for registration, no fees for Intraledger / Lightning payments and 0.2% spread for Stablesats conversion. I'm hopeful this reduces a lot of friction for using BTCPay tools and will make bitcoin payments in (e-)commerce a lot more accessible. We'll see.