JUST IN: Total non-zero balance #Bitcoin addresses pushed to a new all-time high of 44.06M 😲👀🙌
"It took 💰 BTC 6 months to get 1,000 users; 5 years to find 1 million users.
Today, 14 years from inception, it has 300 million+ users, 4% of the world.
At current growth rates, 1 billion users will be hit in the next 3 years. That's 12% of the world." - Willy Woo
Meet the Five Legends of Lightning
A transaction on Lightning Network involves several participants:
Node operators, who run a Lightning Network node on the Bitcoin network. They manage channels, route payments, and provide liquidity.
Senders, who initiate payments and need a Lightning wallet and a channel open with a node connected to the recipient.
Recipients, who receive payments and also require a Lightning wallet and a channel open with a node connected to the sender.
Routing nodes, which help route payments between senders and recipients. They use network capacity and fees to find the best route for payments, passing them through several routing nodes to reach the recipient.
Liquidity providers, which provide funds to the network to help facilitate transactions. They earn fees for routing payments and interest on the funds provided.
Together, these participants form the Lightning Network. With Lightning, transactions are faster, cheaper than on the Bitcoin blockchain.
BREAKING: Adam Back, inventor of hashcash, sees possible $200 Trillion #Bitcoin market cap 9 years from now 😲👀