Bitcoin infrastructure company Voltage has launched Voltage Credit, a programmatic revolving line of credit designed to let businesses send payments with Lightning Network instant finality while repaying in US dollars from a standard bank account or in Bitcoin. The company, which provides enterprise-grade solutions for regulated businesses, is targeting CFOs and treasurers seeking "send now, pay later" flexibility on fast payment rails without holding crypto on their balance sheets.
CEO Graham Krizek told Cointelegraph that while players like Stripe and Block blend faster payments with working capital, they don't embed a revolving credit facility directly into Lightning payments. In the Block model, Lightning and credit remain separate workflows, whereas Voltage lets businesses originate credit and immediately use it to send or receive Lightning and stablecoin payments in real time, without pre-funding.
The product represents a departure from traditional crypto lending by underwriting against payment flows rather than static Bitcoin (BTC) collateral. Because Voltage powers the underlying Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure, it can size and adjust credit limits based on the volume a business processes through its platform. Krizek noted that Voltage originates all loans itself and does not rely on a bank, card network, or third-party fintech to fund the lines.
The platform carries a 12% annual percentage yield (APY) that accrues daily on outstanding balances, with a flat platform fee design to avoid transaction-based pricing that gets more expensive as volumes scale. Krizek emphasized that while revolving lines of credit are not new, bringing that "familiar financial construct" into an environment where Bitcoin and Lightning move money instantly is innovative. "We are effectively modernizing the revolving credit model so it operates at internet speed," he said.
The launch builds on Voltage's recent role supporting a $1 million Lightning Network payment between Secure Digital Markets and Kraken on February 5, a pilot framed as the biggest publicly reported transaction on the network. Krizek said that episode tested Lightning's suitability for institutional-sized flows and demonstrated the network "is capable of handling massive payment volumes and is ready for institutional-scale use."
Voltage Credit is initially available to qualified US‑headquartered businesses, serving all US states except California, Nevada, North Dakota, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., as a registered commercial lender. Early traction has come from exchanges, Bitcoin miners, gaming platforms, and payment processors looking to reduce idle working capital, avoid forced BTC liquidations, and bridge Bitcoin‑denominated revenue with US dollar‑denominated expenses.
The Lightning Network reached an all-time capacity high in December 2025 of 5,606 BTC amid increased adoption from major crypto exchanges and functionality improvements. Demand has since stalled somewhat, falling to 5,121 BTC as of this Monday.
