Bitcoin can reach a million merchants. Why aren’t people spending it?

Bitcoin payments have reached more than a million U.S. sellers through Square, yet the group behind much of the network’s payment software says everyday spending remains scarce. Spiral’s October 27 report is an unusually frank assessment from a Block-backed developer: seven years of easier Lightning tools have expanded the places Bitcoin could be used without giving most holders a reason to use it there. Summary Spiral says more than one million U.S. sellers can accept Bitcoin through Square, though it publishes no transaction count for them. Square’s checkout converts Bitcoin into dollars for merchants by default, leaving the customer responsible for choosing to spend BTC. Block added Lightning support to x402 in September, while the protocol’s reported activity has largely used dollar stablecoins. Lightning Labs opened its Wavelength service more widely in October, with an initial 300,000-satoshi balance ceiling. Spiral is seeking five-year proposals and payment data to test whether incentives, new products or shared rails change repeat use. The contrast is visible at the register. A seller can display a Bitcoin option and still take no Bitcoin payments all day. A customer who ac...