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New Bitcoin Tool Enables Paywalls and Subscriptions With BTC: Here’s How It Works

Freelance Journalist

Andrew Throuvalas

Freelance Journalist

Andrew Throuvalas

About Author

Andrew is a journalist and content writer with a passion for Bitcoin. His work has been featured with Cryptonews, Decrypt, CryptoPotato, and Bitcoin Magazine, among others.

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Last updated:

January 25, 2024

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Source: AdobeStock / Syda Productions

Crypto developers just dropped a new tool that lets creators monetize their content with Bitcoin (BTC) – and it’s a lot more flexible than fiat-based competitors.

Built by programmers Pierre Corbin and Hugo Ferrer, Bitcoin payment gateway “Flash” brings subscriptions, paywalls, and payment links to the digital currency’s native peer-to-peer economy. Aspiring BTC merchants can set up the tool in a minute, and start getting paid in seconds over the lightning network.

“We want to make it the easiest platform to earn in Bitcoin, but also to use Bitcoin in general,” Corbin told Cryptonews via DM. “Today, with a Flash account, you can already “Pay with Flash” on our solutions from any device.”

Announcing Flash!

For months, @HugoFerrer_ and I have been experimenting with building AI tools, implementing #Nostr and lightning transactions.

And I think we've come up with a few innovations.@paywflash is a new #bitcoin payment gateway with a lot of great tools

👇 https://t.co/klly8W4po7 pic.twitter.com/un4uOEorcv

— Pierre Corbin (@CierrePorbin) January 24, 2024

Flash differentiates itself by leveraging the nostr protocol – short for “notes and other stuff transmitted by relays” – and its brand new open-source P2P payment technology called Nostr Wallet Connect.

The protocol is typically advertised as a decentralized social media network, and is a favorite of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and other prominent Bitcoiners. But given its direct compatibility with the lightning network, Corbin saw it as a perfect user-management system shared between applications that could be used to integrate payments into any app.

As such, any user who onboards Flash will automatically be on nostr, and applications integrating Flash for subscriptions will receive the user’s nostr information: username, about me, profile picture, and public key.

Corbin explained:

“To get set, all a user needs to do is fill in a form, they get an html snippet <script> that can be added to any page, and the product is live, including login and logout buttons, and user information (including subscription plan, payment status, etc).”

Bitcoin Beyond Subscriptions

Alternatively, Flash’s one-time users interacting with its paywalls and payment links can pay using one of four popular lightning wallet options

Flash also includes a first-of-its-kind product called the “video paywall.” Rather than pay to watch videos by the second (ex. a ten-minute portion of a movie) rather than buying the entire video if you don’t plan to watch it.

Users can view their Bitcoin balances and make transactions on Flash, but the platform’s managers never have access to their BTC, instead relying on the lightning network’s existing infrastructure.

“We serve as a software communication service between these wallets, also making us the first true lightning payment gateway (as opposed to processor),” Corbin said.