Swiss cryptocurrency exchange WhiteBIT has integrated the Lightning Network, allowing customers to deposit and withdraw bitcoin through a faster, lower-cost payment route. The move expands the exchange’s options for moving funds and adds to the growing use of Lightning by major crypto trading platforms.
Faster Bitcoin transfers on WhiteBIT
WhiteBIT said the integration enables bitcoin deposits and withdrawals over Lightning, a second-layer network built to process transactions away from Bitcoin’s primary blockchain. The exchange’s implementation is powered by Voltage, a provider of Bitcoin infrastructure.
For users, the update is intended to make several routine activities more efficient, including adding bitcoin to an exchange account, sending funds to another user and receiving bitcoin through compatible services. WhiteBIT also identified remittances, merchant-style QR payments and connections with Lightning-enabled wallets and applications as potential uses for the new payment route.
WhiteBIT Founder and Chief Executive Volodymyr Nosov said the company wants to make blockchain technology more accessible through practical digital-asset services. He said Lightning support would help make bitcoin more useful for customers moving funds and using the cryptocurrency in everyday transactions.
Lightning’s expanding role among exchanges
According to Bitcoin Magazine, WhiteBIT is based in Zug, Switzerland, and ranks as the 17th-largest exchange by transaction volume based on CoinGecko data. Its addition of Lightning follows similar integrations by major exchanges including Coinbase and Kraken in recent years.
Lightning was launched in 2018. It was initially associated with small bitcoin payments, such as tips or purchases costing roughly the price of a cup of coffee. Its use has since broadened as exchanges have adopted the network to transfer funds quickly and at relatively low cost.
Unlike an ordinary Bitcoin main-chain transaction, a Lightning payment is settled off-chain rather than being recorded individually on the public blockchain. That structure can also provide more privacy, because individual payments are harder to trace on the main chain. Users still need compatible services or wallets to use the network, and the transaction route is distinct from a standard on-chain bitcoin transfer.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar data at 21:59 on October 8, 2026, showed Bitcoin at $81,627.076006201, down 1.81% over 24 hours and 3.44% over seven days.
Other tracked digital assets showed mixed performance. Aethir was priced at $0.0063474727, down 4.39% in 24 hours but up 9.17% over seven days. Light stood at $0.1672899542, gaining 1.73% over 24 hours while falling 9.4% over seven days. RedStone was at $0.1438596883, down 3.81% on the day and 18.24% over the week.
WhiteBIT’s rollout does not change Bitcoin’s underlying blockchain, but gives its customers another way to move bitcoin between the exchange and compatible Lightning services. The development reflects the network’s shift from an experimental tool for small payments toward infrastructure also being used for exchange funding and broader digital-asset transfers.
