October 2, 2025 – Singapore — Lightning2049, organized by Lnfi Network and the RGB Protocol Association, and sponsored by Bitfinex, brought together developers, infrastructure teams, and investors for a focused discussion on the growing Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem.
The event showcased working implementations across Lightning, RGB, and Taproot Assets — highlighting new use cases and infrastructure now live on Bitcoin’s evolving financial stack.
Key Topics and Presentations
LN Node: Yield-Generating Lightning Node for Multi-Asset Bitcoin
Darius, Co-founder of Lnfi, presented LN Node, a self-custodial Lightning node with native support for BTC, Taproot Assets, and RGB.
The product allows users to open channels, earn BTC through Channel Mining, and manage assets through either a web interface or natural language commands using MCP.
LN Node can be deployed via cloud or desktop, providing flexibility for node operators seeking self-custodial control and multi-asset support.
RGB: Bitcoin’s Asset Layer Now Running on Mainnet
Birkan Kayadibi, Co-founder & COO of the RGB Protocol Association, shared that RGB v0.11.1 is now running on mainnet. RGB enables scalable, privacy-preserving smart contracts and client-side validated asset issuance, including stablecoins and tokenized assets.
With growing tooling support and Lightning Network integration, RGB positions Bitcoin as a programmable platform for decentralized financial applications.
New Use Cases for Lightning
Bobby Shell, VP of Marketing at Voltage, presented several emerging use cases leveraging the Lightning Network — including AI microtransactions, stablecoin billing, and pay-per-use APIs.
These patterns suggest a gradual expansion of Lightning’s role beyond traditional P2P payments into programmable services.
Bitfinex: Lightning as a Native Yield Layer
Federico Tenga, R&D Strategist at Bitfinex, discussed how Lightning is being used to earn native BTC yield through liquidity routing. He emphasized that this mechanism does not require staking, lending, or custodial risk.
With RGB integration, Lightning could serve as a foundation for decentralized financial activity built directly on Bitcoin infrastructure.
RGB-Based Atomic Swap Over Lightning
Walter Maffione, Co-founder & CTO of KaleidoSwap, showcased the first atomic asset swap using RGB over the Lightning Network.
The swap was executed using KaleidoSwap’s RFQ-based DEX infrastructure, enabling trustless, multi-asset trading between RGB assets on mainnet.
El Salvador: Lightning Adoption in Practice
Will Hernandez, Business Development Manager LATAM of Bitfinex, presented on the use of Lightning in El Salvador, where the network supports activity across tourism, small business payments, and government capital markets.
The country remains a key example of national-level Bitcoin infrastructure adoption.
Stablecoins and Bitcoin Layer 2
Sagun Garg, Global Innovation Director at Julius Baer, discussed the future of stablecoins and their shift toward Bitcoin Layer 2. He cited RGB, Taproot Assets, and Ark as credible frameworks offering privacy, scalability, and final settlement — without relying on EVM-compatible chains.
Panel Highlights
Panel 1: Investing in Bitcoin Ecosystem
Panelists discussed growing early-stage investment interest in Bitcoin-native tools, with emphasis on the need for improved user experience, developer accessibility, and liquidity onboarding.
Panel 2: USDT on RGB
The panel addressed the rationale behind USDT’s expansion to RGB and the challenges of scaling usage among both institutional and grassroots users.
Panel 3: Tokenization and Multi-Asset on Bitcoin
Speakers highlighted the momentum around Taproot Assets, RGB, Ark, and Spark — and how they collectively shape Bitcoin’s evolution into a multi-asset protocol environment.
Recap Summary
Lightning2049 focused on showcasing what is already running in production across Bitcoin’s Layer 2 stack — including stablecoin frameworks, trading protocols, programmable applications, and self-custodial yield mechanisms.
- RGB v0.11.1 is live on mainnet
- LN Node introduces multi-asset Lightning yield infrastructure
- First RGB atomic swap was demonstrated
- Real-world Lightning usage was presented through the El Salvador case study
- Stablecoin issuers and financial institutions are aligning toward Bitcoin-native L2 protocols
The event emphasized that Bitcoin’s financial layer is no longer theoretical — it is actively being built and tested today.
