tl;dr
Square, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, has started onboarding merchants to accept Bitcoin payments through its existing point-of-sale terminals, using the Lightning Network for transactions. This integration requires no new hardware and allows merchants to receive Bitcoin directly or convert it instantl...
Twitter Co-Founder Jack Dorsey’s company Square has begun onboarding merchants to its new Bitcoin acceptance feature, marking a major advance for Bitcoin payments in retail. Participating businesses can now accept Bitcoin through Square’s existing point-of-sale terminals, with transactions settled via the Lightning Network.
This rollout follows extensive internal development and testing, allowing merchants the option to receive Bitcoin directly or convert it to dollars instantly at the point of sale. Notably, the integration leverages Square’s current infrastructure, requiring no additional hardware investment for businesses.
Square, operating under the broader Block umbrella, supports over 4 million sellers and processes upwards of $200 billion annually. This vast merchant network places Square in a unique position to drive mainstream Bitcoin adoption in U.S. commerce. Historically, Bitcoin’s business usage has been limited even as institutional interest grows, but Square’s solution tackles previous obstacles such as high fees, slow confirmation times, and volatility.
The new feature offers near-instant, low-cost payments while preserving Bitcoin’s native form, aligning well with the ongoing Bitcoin bull market that has pushed prices above $118,000 as ETFs and institutional demand surge. This momentum stands to gain a fresh boost as Bitcoin moves closer to widespread consumer use.
Jack Dorsey, a long-time Bitcoin advocate, envisions Bitcoin as the native currency of the internet. Enabling BTC for everyday transactions without relying on third-party apps or conversion steps moves this vision forward. If adoption scales successfully, Bitcoin could transition from primarily a store of value to an everyday medium of exchange—one of Satoshi Nakamoto’s early goals.
Though the merchant rollout is currently limited, broader availability is expected in 2026. With this beginning phase underway, Bitcoin appears to be making its initial practical inroads into daily retail in the United States.