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Cover image for Blockstream’s Jade Hardware Wallet Adds Lightning Network Support, Enabling Instant Bitcoin Payments From Cold Storage

Blockstream’s Jade Hardware Wallet Adds Lightning Network Support, Enabling Instant Bitcoin Payments From Cold Storage

Bitcoin Magazine Blockstream’s Jade Hardware Wallet Adds Lightning Network Support, Enabling Instant Bitcoin Payments From Cold Storage Hardware wallets have long been the gold standard for securing bitcoin, but they have remained largely disconnected from the fast-moving world of Lightning payments. A new update from Blockstream is trying to close that gap. The company told Bitcoin Magazine that its Blockstream Jade hardware wallet is now the first hardware wallet able to interact with the Bitcoin Lightning Network, allowing users to send and receive Lightning payments while keeping funds secured in cold storage. The feature arrives through version 5.2.0 of the Blockstream Green app. The update connects Lightning payments with the Liquid Network, a Bitcoin sidechain developed by Blockstream, using atomic swaps that convert Lightning payments into Liquid bitcoin (LBTC) secured by the Jade device. The change addresses a long-standing limitation in the Lightning ecosystem. Lightning transactions have required either hot wallets connected to the internet or custodial services that hold funds on behalf of users. “This is a breakthrough for self-custody,” Jeff Boortz, CPO at Blockstream, told Bitcoin Magazine. While those tools allow instant payments and low fees, they introduce security risks that many long-term holders prefer to avoid. By linking Lightning payments to hardware wallet security, Blockstream is attempting to merge two parts of the Bitcoin stack that have rarely worked together. “Jade is the first hardware wallet in the world to send and receive Lightning payments while keeping your keys fully offline,” Boortz said. “Blockstream is uniquely positioned to deliver this. Our full-stack infrastructure connects all three Bitcoin layers to make this possible on a single hardware wallet.” How will the software work? When a user receives a Lightning payment through the Blockstream app, the software generates a Lightning invoice and automatically performs an atomic swap that converts the incoming payment into LBTC. The funds then settle into the user’s Jade-secured wallet. Because the hardware wallet holds the keys offline, it does not need to be connected to receive the payment. “This launch lets you receive bitcoin instantly over Lightning, hold it securely in a Jade-protected wallet, and move to the base Bitcoin layer whenever they choose,” Peter Bain, CMO at Blockstream, told Bitcoin Magazine. “The result is faster payments, stronger self custody, and fewer unnecessary transactions.” Sending payments follows a similar process in reverse. Users paste a Lightning invoice into the app, which swaps LBTC for Lightning liquidity. The Jade device signs the transaction before funds leave the wallet, preserving the cold storage security model. The design creates a bridge between three layers of the Bitcoin ecosystem: Lightning for payments, Liquid for holding and transferring funds, and the base Bitcoin network for final settlement. For merchants, the structure could allow Lightning payments to accumulate in hardware wallet storage instead of hot wallets that remain exposed online. At the end of a day or week, those funds can be swapped from Liquid to mainchain bitcoin in a single transaction. For individual users, the system also introduces a different way to move bitcoin off exchanges. Instead of withdrawing directly to the mainchain, users could send funds over Lightning to their hardware-secured Liquid wallet, then consolidate to the base layer when network fees drop. This post Blockstream’s Jade Hardware Wallet Adds Lightning Network Support, Enabling Instant Bitcoin Payments From Cold Storage first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Cover image for Bitcoin Price Jumps Above $70,000 After Oil Shock, On-Chain Data Points to New Support Zone

Bitcoin Price Jumps Above $70,000 After Oil Shock, On-Chain Data Points to New Support Zone

Bitcoin Magazine Bitcoin Price Jumps Above $70,000 After Oil Shock, On-Chain Data Points to New Support Zone Bitcoin price steadied this week after a burst of volatility tied to tensions in the Middle East and a surge in oil prices. As of this morning, the bitcoin price is around $70,000 after being above $71,000 in early trading. The turbulence began over the weekend when disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude oil above $100 per barrel. Risk assets across global markets reacted to the shock. Bitcoin price fell alongside equities during the initial sell-off, sliding into the mid-$60,000 range before finding support. Bitcoin price finds support The pullback triggered a wave of on-chain activity. Blockchain data from Glassnode shows nearly 600,000 BTC changed hands between $60,000 and $70,000 during the correction, equal to more than $40 billion worth of bitcoin. Over 200,000 BTC of that volume appeared in the last two weeks alone. The shift created a dense ownership cluster in that range. In total, about 1.558 million BTC last moved between $60,000 and $70,000, up from roughly 997,000 BTC at the start of the year. Analysts say this concentration could form a key support zone because a large group of holders now shares a similar cost basis. Checkonchain data also shows that about 60% of circulating bitcoin currently sits in profit, leaving around 40% of holders with an average purchase price above $70,000. The mix highlights the uneven distribution of entry points after bitcoin’s rapid climb earlier in the year. Institutional flows continued to shape market structure during the volatility. U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded roughly $568 million in net inflows last week after five weeks of outflows. The products now hold more than $55 billion in cumulative net inflows since their launch, according to data from SoSoValue. Market maker Enflux said the bitcoin price held up well relative to other assets during the initial energy-driven risk-off move. The firm noted that the asset stabilized in the mid-$60,000 range even as oil spiked and equities dropped. Macro developments shifted again Monday after comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggested the conflict with Iran could end sooner than expected. Oil prices fell from weekend highs and equity markets reversed earlier losses, which helped lift risk assets across the board. Nasdaq’s tokenized stocks While macro forces drove short-term trading, a separate development in capital markets drew attention across the crypto industry yesterday. Nasdaq announced plans to launch tokenized stocks through a partnership with Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken. The initiative will distribute blockchain-based versions of public equities through Kraken’s xStocks platform. The framework aims to tokenize both stocks and exchange-traded products while preserving existing shareholder rights and corporate governance structures. Kraken will serve as a distribution partner and settlement layer for the tokenized assets. Nasdaq expects the system to launch in the first half of 2027, pending regulatory approval. Also yesterday, Strategy said they spent a whopping $1.28 billion to buy 17,994 more bitcoin last week, raising its total holdings to 738,731 BTC worth about $50 billion at current prices. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is near $69,400. This post Bitcoin Price Jumps Above $70,000 After Oil Shock, On-Chain Data Points to New Support Zone first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Cover image for Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm Could Face 40 Years as Government Seeks New Trial

Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm Could Face 40 Years as Government Seeks New Trial

Bitcoin Magazine Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm Could Face 40 Years as Government Seeks New Trial Federal prosecutors in Manhattan want another chance to convict Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, asking a judge to schedule a retrial this October on two criminal counts where jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision last year. The request, filed Monday in the Southern District of New York, would reopen one of the most consequential legal battles over the boundaries of software development and criminal liability in the cryptocurrency industry. The case centers on Tornado Cash, a decentralized crypto mixer designed to obscure the origin and destination of blockchain transactions. Prosecutors argue the tool enabled large-scale illicit finance. Storm and his supporters argue the government is attempting to criminalize open-source code. Storm’s first trial ended in August with a mixed outcome. A Manhattan jury convicted him of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business but deadlocked on two other charges: conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to violate sanctions. Those unresolved counts carry the heaviest penalties. A conviction on both could expose Storm to as much as 40 years in federal prison. In their letter to Judge Katherine Polk Failla, prosecutors said a retrial date should be set now to avoid scheduling delays. They proposed a start in early or mid-October and estimated a new trial would last about three weeks. Storm remains free on bail while the case continues. A mixed policy shift in Washington The retrial request arrives during a shift in the federal government’s public posture toward digital assets. Last year, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche circulated a memo stating that the Justice Department “is not a digital assets regulator.” The guidance instructed prosecutors to avoid cases that attempt to impose regulatory frameworks through criminal charges against platforms, wallets, and similar infrastructure. The memo also cautioned against targeting developers for the conduct of users who interact with decentralized tools. At the same time, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has softened its language around privacy tools on public blockchains. In a March 2026 report to Congress under the GENIUS Act, Treasury acknowledged that digital asset mixers can serve legitimate purposes. According to the report, lawful users may rely on such tools to shield sensitive financial information, including personal wealth, business payments, charitable donations, and consumer spending patterns. Storm helped create Tornado Cash in 2019 as a privacy protocol for the Ethereum network. Unlike custodial mixers, the protocol operates through smart contracts rather than a centralized service operator. Federal authorities have argued the tool facilitated more than $1 billion in illicit transactions, including activity tied to the North Korean hacking group known as the Lazarus Group. Roman Storm: Making code a crime Storm’s defense maintains that developers cannot control how decentralized software is used after deployment. In a post on X following news of the retrial request, Storm said the first jury heard four weeks of evidence before failing to reach consensus on the two most serious charges. “A jury of 12 Americans heard four weeks of evidence and deadlocked,” he wrote. “No verdict on money laundering. No verdict on sanctions violations.” Storm framed the retrial effort as an attempt to redefine the legal status of code. “The government’s response?” he wrote. “Try again to make writing code a crime.” This post Tornado Cash’s Roman Storm Could Face 40 Years as Government Seeks New Trial first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.