Email Subscription Platform Substack Adds Bitcoin Lightning Payments

Substack with over half a million subscribers, announced Monday it has integrated Bitcoin Lightning payments in collaboration with OpenNode, a payment processor offering Bitcoin and Lightning optimized API solutions for businesses.

Independent online publisher Substack, with over half a million subscribers, announced Monday it has integrated Bitcoin Lightning payments in collaboration with OpenNode, a payment processor offering Bitcoin and Lightning optimized API solutions for businesses.

OpenNode will now power both on-chain and off-chain Bitcoin and Lightning payments on the Substack platform, meaning journalists and writers can now effectively make a living in Bitcoin as independent writers.

Nick Inzucchi, product designer at Substack commented, “We’re excited to be working with OpenNode to enable independent publishers on Substack to accept crypto payments.”

Inzucchi continued, “Having this option will give writers more flexibility and freedom, and we look forward to doing more in crypto to meet writers’ needs.”

For now, instantaneous lightning payments are only available to “a select group of crypto-focused publications.” Subscribers to those publications will be able to pay their subscription fees in Bitcoin, and the lightning-enabled publications can withdraw their earnings in Bitcoin as well.

João Almeida, Co-founder & CTO at OpenNode stated, “Our partnership will allow content creators across the Substack ecosystem to accept Bitcoin payments, and retain earnings in Bitcoin or convert to preferred currency. Writers and podcasters have flocked to Substack to regain creative and financial freedom, and Bitcoin is a natural fit.”