Lightning Network 2025 Stats: Year in Review ⚡️📊

Across metrics, Lightning showed robust growth with all the hallmarks of health and strength with its expansion.

2025 set a solid foundation for Bitcoin's MoE proliferation in the years ahead.

Let the data show you👇

1/ Lightning Capacity ATH

More Bitcoin is moving onto the #LightningNetwork.

Capacity contracted in early 2025, then reversed in August to close the year at record highs.

Users continued committing BTC to Lightning, countering downward BTC price pressure.

2/ Lightning Increased Concentration

Early in 2025, the network pruned smaller, inactive channels.

While there were fewer connections, the average channel size grew, enabling larger payments.

Lightning is evolving from many small roads → fewer highways for higher throughput.

3/ New Channels Signal High Conviction

New channel opens (in sats) show a clear strengthening trend.

• Channel opens intensified throughout the year in size and number

• Capacity moved into fewer, higher-quality channels

Liquidity is being strategically deployed: fewer, larger channels support bigger payments. The trend indicates more confidence in peers and the protocol.

4/ Channel Closures Look Healthier

In 2025:

• Mutual closes grew modestly (healthy close)

• Force closes bursted then fell slightly

• Penalty closes were rare (only 7)

Pruning in action:

Forced closes involved smaller (and likely inactive) channels, preceding large channel opens (pruning)

Mutual closes indicate higher network and protocol stability.

With smarter channel openings (AI-optimized) and a mature protocol, force closes reduce over time.

5/ Cost-Conscious Network Growth

Lightning grew at low cost in 2025:

• Node operators deployed large amounts of capital

• Low on-chain fees supported these deployments

• Low setup costs enabled higher profit possibilities

Flat channel fees plus rising capacity signal a prudent network with maturing structure.

6/ Magma surged while LINER remained steady

Magma, the liquidity marketplace, grew more established in 2025, providing more liquidity pricing data to LINER:

• More decentralized liquidity

• Deeper market (60 BTC)

• Automated Liquidity

• Private channel purchases increased (incl. via Alby)

Marketplace volume made LINER a more accurate yield indicator.

7/ The node graph tells a story

Nodes grew +2.37% YTD, but the journey was notable:

• Early 2025: many channels were closed with a sharp decline of nodes around June/July

• Later in the year: larger capacity channels were opened

What do you think drove the 2025 node growth?

8/ The big picture

2025 laid the groundwork for scale.

• Bigger channels

• Healthier channel lifecycles

• Deeper liquidity markets

• Larger payment possibilities

The network strengthened its foundations amid rapid growth.

#LightningNetwork is maturing, now positioned for larger, higher-volume payments.

Explore the data behind this thread →

Un projet que je prépare depuis petit moment arrive enfin.

Des livres pour enfants.

Pour transmettre la liberté, tôt.

Très tôt. ⚡📚

4 tomes dès le lancement.

Bientôt sur le store de @Mill3sim3 et dès maintenant sur Amazon

T01 - Les marchands de chandelles

Quand on bloque la lumière… on bloque la création.

Une première leçon douce sur :

→ ce qu’on voit

→ ce qu’on ne voit pas

→ et pourquoi la liberté éclaire mieux que l’interdiction 🔥

T02 - La vitre magique

Casser, réparer… mais à quel prix invisible ?

Une histoire simple pour comprendre :

→ le coût d’opportunité

→ les choix

→ et pourquoi “faire tourner l’économie” peut appauvrir sans bruit 🪟

T03 - La grande fabrique des règles

Quand les bonnes intentions fabriquent… des montagnes de papier.

Une leçon sur :

→ l’excès de règles

→ la créativité étouffée

→ et pourquoi moins de contraintes = plus de vie 🏭📜

T04 - Le mystérieux argent de papier

Quand on imprime la richesse… elle disparaît.

Une première initiation pour enfants à :

→ la monnaie

→ la valeur

→ l’illusion magique de l’argent facile

→ et un clin d’œil à une monnaie plus honnête ⚡💛

Ces livres ne sont pas des leçons.

Ce sont des graines.

Pour que les enfants comprennent tôt :

→ la liberté

→ la responsabilité

→ la valeur

→ et pourquoi Bitcoin n’est pas “juste un prix”.

Disponible ici 👇

Penlock got covered in nostr:nprofile1qythwumn8ghj7cnfw33k76twv4ezuum0vd5kzmp0qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uqzq7el0qph2p6x7325zw3zr7qfvhhvk600xz8jatga4zwv9jy396tgl0dzev’s Bitcoin Tech Talk! ✨

This is a high-signal newsletter that always comes with some food for thought… I don't know how he keeps up with reading so much, year after year! Here’s what he had to say about Penlock:

“If you want to back up a seed phrase but don’t want the seed phrase in a single place, this is a very interesting option. The main idea is to split a 12-word seed phrase into a 2-of-3 backup, but instead of using a computer to split this up, it uses a printable paper wheel. It uses some clever cryptography under the hood and what you end up with in your shares are other seed phrases that can get combined to recover your 12-word seed. Honestly, the makers should make these wheels available for sale as it mitigates the evil maid attack.”

Well, looks like we’re on the same page… more news about it soon!

⚡️🇪🇺 NEW - Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, delivers her holiday greetings in front of a Christmas tree on December 24, 2025, in Frankfurt.

She celebrates the drop in inflation to 2% in 2025 and discusses progress on the digital euro and the redesign of banknotes, affirming the central bank's strength for the future.

Merry Christmas btw 🎄 lol 😂

Merry Christmas Nostr! 🎁🌲🐕

Apologies in advance to those I missed.

#plebchain #Christmas #Nostr