Bitcoin Price Prediction: Soon-to-Be-Released Lightning Network a Game Changer for Bitcoin
Daily Bitcoin News Update
The “Lightning Network” (LN) is now in the final phase of beta testing. As we count down the days to its release, it’s fair that we inform our readers why we anxiously await its launch. It’s because the LN will be a game changer for Bitcoin.
This major upgrade could forever change Bitcoin’s fate in the payments world. For a digital currency that was launched with the primary purpose of replacing fiat currency, slow transaction speeds and high fees diminished its true utility. Part of the problem was aggravated by politics within the developer community.
Recall that the Lightning Network could not be implemented on Bitcoin until Bitcoin adopted “Segregated Witness” (SegWit). Mind you, SegWit was the bone of contention that led to the split of Bitcoin. Disagreement over this upgrade gave birth to a Bitcoin clone, Bitcoin Cash.
But now that Bitcoin has endorsed the SegWit soft fork and is improving its scalability issues, it has paved the way for the LN’s smooth implementation. Bitcoin may reclaim its status as the true leader of cryptographic digital payments once the LN goes into effect.
This upgrade will make a difference on two fronts.
First, the LN will speed up transactions to nearly match the speed of light (hence the name Lightning Network). Millions of transactions will be processed within seconds. For a platform like Bitcoin that takes hours, sometimes days, to verify one transaction, the LN may be the silver bullet to solve all its problems.
Second, it will present us with another technology: “atomic swaps.” This technology is an easy, cost-efficient, one-stop service for converting Bitcoin to any cryptocurrency and vice versa. Atomic swaps would make Bitcoin fungible, just like fiat money.
The Lightning Network is almost 87% complete as of today’s update on GitHub. What’s interesting, however, is that, while it’s still in its beta phase, over 1,000 Lightning Network nodes have already become active on its network.
What this simply means is that over 1,000 wallets have sent and received money using the LN while it’s still on the testnet. So, imagine how fast the community would grow once it’s available on the mainnet.
Looking at the LN’s progress, it’s safe to assume that the official release on the mainnet should be sometime later this year.
While we await it, you may want to know that Bitcoin prices are once again gaining momentum. A reversal from last week’s price slump is obvious on the chart below.
Chart courtesy of TradingView.com
At the time of this writing, Bitcoin prices are up about 12.9% in the trailing 24 hours. The BTC to USD exchange rate is standing at $9,294.57.
Analyst Take
The implementation of the Lightning Network will revolutionize Bitcoin. It will deliver a new, revamped, cost-efficient, and fast Bitcoin that would forever hush up skeptics who question its viability as a digital medium of exchange.
We expect the LN to be the impetus of another major bull run in Bitcoin prices. Keep your eyes peeled for this upgrade because our Bitcoin price prediction suggests that Bitcoin prices may soon rally past $15,000.
