Bitcoin Lightning Network Integration Accelerates as Time2Build Challenge Showcases Developer Innovation

Developer Challenge Reveals Growing Momentum for Bitcoin Payments

The Bitcoin Lightning Network ecosystem has taken a significant step forward with the conclusion of the Time2Build developer challenge, which attracted participation from more than 50 developer communities globally and resulted in numerous practical integrations for self-custodial Bitcoin payments ^[1].

Organized by Breez in collaboration with Tether, Lightspark, Fulgur Ventures, Plan ₿ Network, PlebLab, Geyser, and Draper University, the initiative ran from October 7 to November 15, 2025, with a merge period extending through December 16 ^[1]. The challenge focused specifically on integrating self-custodial Lightning Network payments into existing open-source applications using the Breez SDK ^[1].

Practical Solutions Over Proof-of-Concepts

Unlike typical hackathons that produce one-off demonstrations, Time2Build emphasized creating plugins, tools, and integrations designed for long-term practical use ^[1]. The challenge targeted areas including merchant payments, social platforms, identity protocols, and Nostr-based applications ^[1].

Two key trends emerged from the submissions. Developers frequently used Lightning as an interoperability layer, pairing it with protocols like Nostr and Cashu to enable value transfer between systems without modifying native designs ^[1]. Additionally, participants showed a strong preference for lightweight plugins over deep integrations, choosing to build for content management systems, forums, game engines, and creator tools ^[1]. This approach enabled faster deployment, independent iteration, and reduced dependence on approval from upstream maintainers ^[1].

Top Prize Winners Address Critical Use Cases

Four projects received the top prize of $3,500, judged by a panel including Abubakar, Giacomo, Jeff, Kevin, Keyan, Lisa, Roy, and Subash ^[1].

The BTCPay Server plugin, developed by Aljaz, enables Lightning payments on the open-source payment processor used by merchants globally ^[1]. The integration eliminates the need for operators to manage a full Lightning node and channel liquidity while maintaining self-custodial Bitcoin functionality ^[1].

The Evento team, consisting of Brianna, Andre, and Aaliyah, added Lightning capabilities to their social events platform, allowing users to tip participants, support hosts, and interact with services like Bitrefill purchases directly within the app ^[1].

Alessandro, Gianluca, Gabriele, and John integrated the Breez SDK into Portal, a protocol and mobile app for identity and payments, making Lightning a native protocol feature that any Portal-based application can inherit ^[1].

Daniel incorporated Lightning into the Primal web client, a widely used Nostr application, replacing a previous custodial onboarding process that required KYC verification ^[1]. The new self-custodial wallet experience requires no personal information and completes onboarding in approximately one minute ^[1].

Additional Awards and Future Development

Eight additional projects received $1,000 prizes, including plugins for OBS Studio donations, backend support for Nutshell Cashu mints, a Telegram wallet called SatsMobi, a Godot Engine plugin for in-game Lightning payments, and integrations for Umbraco, Discourse forums, and CTFd security challenges ^[1].

Special prizes from Draper University and PlebLab recognized Lib de Satoshi & B4OS for gamifying education through Lightning integration, and Sparkihonne for blending identity, messaging, and payments in a Nostr-focused wallet ^[1].

The Breez team indicated that future development priorities include adding Bitcoin to messaging apps like Signal, integrating it into leading crypto wallets, and bringing Lightning into new applications with emerging use cases ^[1].

Investment Signals Mainstream DeFi Interest

In a separate development highlighting growing institutional interest in decentralized finance, BitMine Immersion Technologies announced a $200 million equity investment in Beast Industries on January 15, 2026 ^[2]. The transaction, expected to close on January 19, 2026, involves the media and platform company owned by content creator MrBeast, whose main YouTube channel has over 461 million subscribers ^[2].

Beast Industries CEO Jeff Housenbold stated that the company plans to integrate decentralized financial applications into a future financial services platform ^[2]. BitMine positions itself as an Ethereum treasury company with institutional backing from ARK Invest, Founders Fund, Pantera, Galaxy Digital, and Digital Currency Group ^[2].