In brief

  • A social payments app based in Africa is now accepting Bitcoin Lightning payments.
  • The payments are made possible by Bitrefill.
  • Now Bundle users can send Christmas gift cards using Bitcoin.

Bundle—a social payments app active in Nigeria and Ghana—is accepting Bitcoin Lightning payments, according to a tweet from Taiwo Orilogbon, head of engineering at Bundle. 

This is made possible by Bitrefill, which allows users to buy gift cards using Bitcoin. By using Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology, users are able to send fast digital payments around the world, and now, Bundle users are able to use this technology to purchase gift cards ahead of the Christmas season. 

“Getting Christmas gifts for your loved ones is now very easy with over 3000 Gift cards to select from,” Orilogbon added.

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"Congrats to @BundleAfrica, the first app in Africa (to my knowledge) to make use of the #LightningNetwork. Nigeria is one of the most financially blockaded countries in the world and buying gift cards on @bitrefill is a way for Nigerians to access the global product market," tweeted Matt Ahlborg, creator of Bitcoin data site Useful Tulips.

The ability to send these gift cards is part of Bitrefill’s wider goal to make cryptocurrency more mainstream. “Bitrefill provides products and services that allow anyone to live on cryptocurrency more easily,” the website says. 

In order to send these gift cards, all a Bundle user has to do is provide Bitrefill with an email address in order to receive a receipt. 

In addition to accepting Bitcoin Lightning payments, Bundle is also offering price alerts. 

While this partnership might be Bundle’s first Bitcoin Lightning feature, the company intends to add more, similar features in the next year. 

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Orilogbon added, “This is our first Lightning Payment feature, hoping to add more in the coming year.”

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