B2 Network Partners with Quack AI to Enable AI Agent Settlements on Bitcoin

The post The Channel Factories We’ve Been Waiting For appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Visions of future technology are often prescient about the broad strokes while flubbing the details. The tablets in “2001: A Space Odyssey” do indeed look like iPads, but you never see the astronauts paying for subscriptions or wasting hours on Candy Crush.  Channel factories are one vision that arose early in the history of the Lightning Network to address some challenges that Lightning has faced from the beginning. Despite having grown to become Bitcoin’s most successful layer-2 scaling solution, with instant and low-fee payments, Lightning’s scale is limited by its reliance on payment channels. Although Lightning shifts most transactions off-chain, each payment channel still requires an on-chain transaction to open and (usually) another to close. As adoption grows, pressure on the blockchain grows with it. The need for a more scalable approach to managing channels is clear. Channel factories were supposed to meet this need, but where are they? In 2025, subnetworks are emerging that revive the impetus of channel factories with some new details that vastly increase their potential. They are natively interoperable with Lightning and achieve greater scale by allowing a group of participants to open a shared multisig UTXO and create multiple bilateral channels, which reduces the number of on-chain transactions and improves capital efficiency. Achieving greater scale by reducing complexity, Ark and Spark perform the same function as traditional channel factories with new designs and additional capabilities based on shared UTXOs.  Channel Factories 101 Channel factories have been around since the inception of Lightning. A factory is a multiparty contract where multiple users (not just two, as in a Dryja-Poon channel) cooperatively lock funds in a single multisig UTXO. They can open, close and update channels off-chain without updating the blockchain for each operation. Only when participants leave or the factory dissolves is an on-chain transaction…

The post China Launches Cross-Border QR Code Payment Trial appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Key Points: Main event involves China initiating a cross-border QR code payment trial. Alipay and Ant International are key participants. Impact on financial security and regulatory focus on illicit finance. China’s central bank, led by Deputy Governor Lu Lei, initiated a trial of a unified cross-border QR code payment gateway with Alipay and Ant International as participants. This pilot addresses cross-border fund risks, aiming to enhance financial security amid rising money laundering through digital channels, despite muted crypto market reactions. China’s Cross-Border Payment Gateway Trial with Alipay The trial operation of a unified cross-border QR code payment gateway marks a milestone in China’s financial landscape. Prominent entities such as Alipay and Ant International are at the forefront, participating as the initial institutions in this venture. Lu Lei, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China, highlighted the systemic risks posed by increased cross-border fund flows. Changes are expected in the dynamics of digital transactions, potentially enhancing transaction efficiency while tightening regulations around illicit finance. The initiative underscores China’s commitment to bolstering financial security amidst growing global fund movements. “The scale of cross-border fund flows is expanding, and the frequency is accelerating, providing opportunities for risks such as cross-border money laundering and terrorist financing. Some overseas illegal platforms transfer funds through channels such as virtual currencies and underground banks, creating a ‘resonance’ of risks at home and abroad, posing a challenge to China’s foreign exchange management and financial security.” — Lu Lei, Deputy Governor, People’s Bank of China Bitcoin and Impact of China’s Financial Initiatives Did you know? China’s latest initiative echoes the Payment Connect project of June 2025, furthering real-time cross-boundary remittances and expanding its influence on global financial systems. As of September 17, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) stands at $115,748.72 with a market cap of $2.31 trillion, showing a 0.97%…

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