Zap Dev: Use Lightning Network to Buy Bitcoin — Avoid Coinbase, BitPay

The creators of Bitcoin (BTC) wallet Zap have introduced a new tool for instantly purchasing Bitcoin using a bank account via the Lightning Network.

Lightning powers instant debit card Bitcoin buys

In a blog post and associated social media posts on Sept. 19, Zap Solutions founder Jack Mallers said Olympus was specifically designed to bypass offerings from BitPay and Coinbase.

The Lightning Network facilitates instant delivery of BTC purchases, and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures are kept to a minimum. 

“Someone who has never experienced Bitcoin before should be able to swipe their debit card, get Bitcoin delivered to them directly onto the Lightning Network, and make inexpensive instant micropayments within seconds of purchase,” Mallers explained.

The service does not require a Zap wallet for use and operates as a standalone component for existing wallet users. For them, using this function is optional, with KYC only applicable to those who choose to use it. 

Testing is under way, with Zap applying for money transmitter licenses in each U.S. state prior to a rollout in 2020. 

Developer on Coinbase and BitPay: “F*** that”

Explaining the impetus behind Olympus, Mallers did not mince his words. 

“Do we wait for Coinbase and BitPay to come around to Lightning? Leave it up to the closed-source elites that have misrepresented bitcoin for years to take the baton and run to the finish line? No. F*** that,” he wrote. 

Both companies have felt the pressure this year as dissatisfaction grew among clients. In the case of BitPay, arbitrary rejections of certain payments — including charity donations — sparked outrage on social media.