The post $1 million Bitcoin payment shatters Lightning Network records in half a second appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

A cryptocurrency trading company completed a $1 million payment using Bitcoin’s Lightning Network on Jan. 28, 2026, finishing the transaction in less than half a second and likely setting a record for the payment system. Secure Digital Markets, which handles trading and lending for institutional clients, sent the funds to Kraken exchange. The company said that the payment settled in just 0.43 seconds. SDM said the transaction shows how large amounts can move between regulated financial companies through Bitcoin’s second-layer network. The payment went through systems run by Voltage, a company that operates Lightning nodes with reliable uptime and set-up liquidity arrangements for exchanges and trading firms. Breaking previous payment records The amount breaks past earlier records by a wide margin. The previous high for a single Lightning payment that was publicly reported came in at about 1.24 Bitcoin, which equaled roughly $140,000 at the time. Six-figure payments through Lightning have been rare, which makes a full million-dollar payment in a single transaction particularly notable. Mostafa Al-Mashita, who started SDM and runs its sales and trading division, called the transaction a “definitive shift in the architecture of global settlement.” He said the industry has moved past wondering if Bitcoin can support institutional-level operations. Now, he added, the question is how quickly traditional finance companies will begin using these tools. Graham Krizek runs Voltage as CEO. He called the payment an “important moment for Lightning and for institutional Bitcoin payments.” According to Krizek, a $1 million Lightning transfer shows “its ability to meet enterprise requirements.” The transaction matters more because standard Bitcoin payments typically take ten minutes or longer to confirm. Those transactions also face changing fee costs that can cause issues for time-sensitive financial work and payments between institutions. SDM executes $1M Lightning Network payment to Bitcoin | Source: @SD_Markets…

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Filed under: News - @ February 5, 2026 4:27 pm