Bitcoin's Next Act Is Invisible Payment Infrastructure

David Marcus, the Lightspark co-founder and chief executive, said Bitcoin’s next wave of growth will come from acting as invisible settlement infrastructure for banks and payment networks. That matters more than consumers spending Bitcoin directly at checkout.

Marcus shared his outlook in an interview with CoinShares, the digital asset manager behind the (BRRR ). He compared Bitcoin’s path to early internet protocols, noting that people don’t think about SMTP or TCP/IP when they send an email. Payment networks built on Bitcoin could reach that same invisibility.

Marcus founded Lightspark in 2022, after years in payments that included stints at (PYPL) and (META). Lightspark first built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It has since shifted focus to Spark, a Bitcoin layer-two network. Spark lets Lightspark issue stablecoins directly on top of Bitcoin.

Marcus said Bitcoin’s reputation as a store of value is a prerequisite for its payment utility. Banks and other institutions need deep liquidity before they will route large cross-border transactions through the network.

Marcus pointed to two signs of that shift. (SOFI) already uses Bitcoin rails to move money for customers across borders. (JPM) said it would accept Bitcoin as collateral for mortgages.