Jack Dorsey’s digital payments firm Block unveiled plans to enable Bitcoin payments directly on its Square platform by 2026. The payments will be facilitated via the Lightning Network.
At the Bitcoin Conference 2025 this week in Las Vegas, Square is piloting real-time Bitcoin payments. Attendees can scan and spend crypto for T-shirts, hoodies, and hats at the BTC Inc. merchandise store.
“Block has long been a champion of Bitcoin, focused on making it more accessible and usable in our everyday lives,” said Miles Suter, BTC product lead at Block. Suter helped oversee the setup of the new Square Bitcoin checkout, which he calls a “significant milestone” in making the crypto more accessible and usable.
The planned roll-out will begin in the second half of 2025, an official release read. The feature is expected to expand to all eligible merchants by 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
“We believe in an open, decentralized, fair, fast, and low-cost money system for everyone, and that’s exactly what we want to bring to Square sellers.”
“Somebody’s got to be first,” he told CNBC, talking about the current Bitcoin payments feature. “And we feel like we have the right DNA to push things forward.”
He joined Block in 2017, contributing to several of the company’s key milestones, including its Cash App’s Bitcoin integration.
Meanwhile, following the Bitcoin payments roll-out, Block Inc. shares climbed 5.81%, reaching an intraday high of $62.66, before settling at $62.17 on May 27.
Apart from payments on Square, Block is expanding its Bitcoin ecosystem with products such as Cash App’s bitcoin buy, sell, and transfer features.