October 2, 2025 – Singapore – Organized by Lnfi Network and RGB Protocol Association and sponsored by Bitfinex, Lightning2049 brought together developers, infrastructure teams, and investors for an intensive discussion about the growing Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem.
The event showcased practical implementations across Lightning, RGB, and Taproot assets, highlighting new use cases and infrastructure currently running on Bitcoin’s evolving financial stack.
Main topics and presentations
LN Nodes: Revenue-generating Lightning Nodes for Multi-Asset Bitcoin
Lnfi co-founder Darius introduced LN Node, a self-custodial Lightning node with native support for BTC, Taproot Assets, and RGB.
The product allows users to open channels, earn BTC through channel mining, and manage assets through a web interface or natural language commands using MCP.
LN nodes can be deployed via the cloud or desktop, providing flexibility for node operators seeking self-custodial control and multi-asset support.
RGB: Bitcoin asset layer now live on mainnet
Birkan Kayadibi, co-founder and COO of the RGB Protocol Association, said RGB v0.11.1 is currently running on mainnet. RGB enables the issuance of scalable, privacy-preserving smart contracts and client-side verified assets, including stablecoins and tokenized assets.
With expanded tool support and Lightning Network integration, RGB positions Bitcoin as a programmable platform for decentralized financial applications.
New Lightning Use Cases
Bobby Shell, VP of Marketing at Voltage, introduced several new use cases leveraging the Lightning Network, including AI microtransactions, stablecoin billing, and pay-as-you-go APIs.
These patterns suggest that Lightning’s role will gradually expand beyond traditional P2P payments and into programmable services.
Bitfinex: Lightning as a native yield layer
Federico Tenga, R&D Strategist at Bitfinex, explained how Lightning is being used to capture native BTC yield through liquidity routing. He emphasized that this mechanism does not require staking, financing or custodial risks.
With RGB integration, Lightning could serve as the foundation for decentralized financial activities built directly on Bitcoin infrastructure.
RGB-based atomic swap over Lightning
Walter Maffione, co-founder and CTO of KaleidoSwap, introduced the first atomic asset swap using RGB on the Lightning Network.
The swap was executed using KaleidoSwap’s RFQ-based DEX infrastructure, enabling trustless multi-asset trading between RGB assets on mainnet.
El Salvador: Lightning implementation in action
Will Hernandez, Latin America Business Development Manager at Bitfinex, announced the use of Lightning in El Salvador. In El Salvador, the network supports activities across tourism, small business payments and government capital markets.
The country remains an important example of national-level Bitcoin infrastructure deployment.
Stablecoins and Bitcoin Layer 2
Sagun Garg, Global Innovation Director at Julius Baer, discussed the future of stablecoins and the transition to Bitcoin Layer 2. He cited RGB, Taproot Assets, and Ark as reliable frameworks that provide privacy, scalability, and final settlement without relying on an EVM compatible chain.
Panel highlights
Panel 1: Investing in the Bitcoin Ecosystem
Panelists discussed the growing early-stage investment interest in Bitcoin-native tools, emphasizing the need to improve user experience, developer accessibility, and liquidity onboarding.
Panel 2: USDT on RGB
The panel discussed the rationale behind USDT’s expansion into RGB and the challenges of expanding its use among both institutional and grassroots users.
Panel 3: Bitcoin Tokenization and Multi-Asset
Speakers highlighted the momentum surrounding Taproot Assets, RGB, Ark, and Spark and how they are collectively shaping Bitcoin’s evolution into a multi-asset protocol environment.
Summary overview
Lightning2049 focused on showcasing what is already running in production across Bitcoin’s layer 2 stack, including stablecoin frameworks, trading protocols, programmable applications, and self-custodial yield mechanisms.
- RGB v0.11.1 is published on mainnet
- LN Node Deploys Multi-Asset Lightning Yield Infrastructure
- First RGB atomic swap demonstrated
- Real-world Lightning usage showcased through a case study from El Salvador
- Stablecoin issuers and financial institutions are working together towards Bitcoin’s native L2 protocol
The event highlighted that Bitcoin’s financial layer is no longer theoretical, but is currently being actively built and tested.