Square enables Bitcoin payments for roughly one million U.S. merchants. That is the latest update from Block’s popular payment platform.
The rollout uses the Lightning Network. As a result, customers can pay in BTC. Meanwhile, sellers receive U.S. dollars by default. This setup reduces the risk that merchants face from Bitcoin price swings.
How Square enables Bitcoin payments with Lightning
Square’s new feature follows an earlier plan. The company said back in 2025 that it would bring Bitcoin payments to eligible sellers by 2026.
How does it work? Merchants accept Bitcoin through Square hardware. The system handles near‑instant settlement and real‑time exchange rates in the background. Customers pay in Bitcoin, but the conversion happens before settlement. Sellers can opt out if they do not want this payment option.
Lightning removes payment friction
Reports previously said that Square began onboarding merchants in July 2025. That report stated that merchants could keep Bitcoin or convert it into fiat currency. Meanwhile, Lightning supported faster and cheaper payments than many traditional card rails.
Block has framed this rollout as part of a wider plan. The goal is to make Bitcoin useful for payments, not just long‑term holding.
Miles Suter is the Bitcoin Product Lead at Block. In 2025, he said that bringing a native Bitcoin experience to sellers moves the company closer to that goal.
“Rolling out a native bitcoin experience to millions of sellers brings us one step closer to that goal,” Suter said. He also added: “We believe in an open, decentralized, fair, fast, and low‑cost money system for everyone.”
Cash App and Bitkey support the strategy
The merchant rollout sits alongside other Bitcoin products from Block. Cash App already supports Bitcoin buying, selling, and transfers. Bitkey offers self‑custody tools. In addition, Block supports Proto for Bitcoin mining and Spiral for open‑source Bitcoin development.
Block’s proof‑of‑reserves page says customer Bitcoin is held one‑to‑one. Corporate Bitcoin sits separately on Block’s balance sheet. The company also notes that the dashboard is a point‑in‑time snapshot. It is “not an audit or guarantee of solvency.”
What does this mean for adoption?
The one‑million merchant mark increases Bitcoin payment availability at checkout. However, it does not prove that consumers will use BTC often for everyday purchases. Actual adoption will depend on fees, tax rules, customer habits, and merchant demand.
