$1 million Bitcoin payment shatters Lightning Network records in half a second

A cryptocurrency trading company completed a $1 million payment using Bitcoin’s Lightning Network on Jan. 28, 2026, finishing the transaction in less than half a second and likely setting a record for the payment system.

Secure Digital Markets, which handles trading and lending for institutional clients, sent the funds to Kraken exchange. The company said that the payment settled in just 0.43 seconds. SDM said the transaction shows how large amounts can move between regulated financial companies through Bitcoin’s second-layer network.

The payment went through systems run by Voltage, a company that operates Lightning nodes with reliable uptime and set-up liquidity arrangements for exchanges and trading firms.

Breaking previous payment records

The amount breaks past earlier records by a wide margin. The previous high for a single Lightning payment that was publicly reported came in at about 1.24 Bitcoin, which equaled roughly $140,000 at the time. Six-figure payments through Lightning have been rare, which makes a full million-dollar payment in a single transaction particularly notable.

Mostafa Al-Mashita, who started SDM and runs its sales and trading division, called the transaction a “definitive shift in the architecture of global settlement.” He said the industry has moved past wondering if Bitcoin can support institutional-level operations. Now, he added, the question is how quickly traditional finance companies will begin using these tools.

Graham Krizek runs Voltage as CEO. He called the payment an “important moment for Lightning and for institutional Bitcoin payments.” According to Krizek, a $1 million Lightning transfer shows “its ability to meet enterprise requirements.”

The transaction matters more because standard Bitcoin payments typically take ten minutes or longer to confirm. Those transactions also face changing fee costs that can cause issues for time-sensitive financial work and payments between institutions.

Network capacity shows institutional growth

The payment happened as Lightning Network data showed changing patterns. Bitcoin locked in public Lightning channels fell from over 5,400 BTC in late 2023 to about 4,200 BTC by mid-2025. The network recovered after that, hitting a new high of more than 5,600 BTC in capacity by December 2025. That level has stayed stable into early February 2026, suggesting new institutional funds are coming in even though the total number of public nodes has decreased slightly.

That amount of locked funds is still fairly small when measured against Bitcoin’s total market. Most Lightning activity on record has involved smaller payments. However, the situation for larger payments is shifting. Bitfinex previously capped Lightning deposits at 0.04 BTC. The exchange recently increased that limit to 0.5 BTC per payment and 2 BTC per channel.

Paolo Ardoino holds the CEO position at Tether and works as chief technology officer at Bitfinex. He stated that the Lightning Network is a “powerful solution for all Bitcoin users” and began as a test for retail transactions. Ardoino said Bitfinex has seen Lightning handle bigger volumes with steady settlement times, reduced costs and less backup on the main blockchain, “all of which matter for institutional use cases.”

Fidelity Digital Assets released a 2025 report on Lightning with information from Voltage. The report stated that the Lightning Network both improved Bitcoin’s practical use and made a stronger case for investing in it. Fidelity noted that average Lightning capacity had grown 384% since 2020. The firm described the network as a “transformative opportunity for both new and existing financial institutions.”

Blockstream, a company that builds Bitcoin infrastructure, made similar points in its report for the fourth quarter of 2025. The company highlighted Core Lightning updates designed to reduce delays and help Lightning Service Providers. It promoted its Greenlight platform as a tool for apps, exchanges and services to add Lightning capabilities without major infrastructure needs. The company outlined specific plans for enterprise-focused Lightning launches.

The completed test between SDM and Kraken now serves as proof that high-value transfers can work. It demonstrates that the layer-2 system can handle internal money management and transfers between trading platforms without the delays connected to settlement on Bitcoin’s main network.