2026-01-06 15:25:47

A fascinating phenomenon in 2025 — the number of active merchants accepting Bitcoin payments worldwide has recently surged by 53%, reaching 11,200 stores, with the total merchant count approaching 20,000. What does this growth signify? Simply put, Bitcoin payments have stepped out of the geek circle and are beginning to become a genuine business option.

From Home Depot to Gucci, from stores in the United States to markets in South Africa, merchants are voting with their actions. This is no longer symbolic testing; it’s real business decisions involving real money. All of this indicates one thing: the infrastructure for Bitcoin payments has finally matured.

The data makes it clear. The BTC Map 2025 annual report shows that at the beginning of the year, about 12,000 merchants accepted Bitcoin payments, and now that number is approaching 20,000. But more importantly, it’s not just the total number — the verified active merchant count has actually increased by 53%. What does this mean? It indicates that these new merchants are not just putting up signs as decoration; they are genuinely using Bitcoin payments.

On the technical front, breakthroughs have also occurred. Major platforms like leading payment processors are beginning to integrate Bitcoin payments, and crucially, they are waiving processing fees. Once such giants open the door, the global ecosystem of millions of merchants can access Bitcoin payments at nearly zero cost. This is a turning point.

Looking at the Lightning Network, the maturity of this technology directly solves the long-standing efficiency bottleneck that has plagued Bitcoin payments. Transaction confirmation times have shifted from lengthy waits to second-level responses, changing the entire game. When the payment experience becomes smooth enough and costs are low enough, merchant adoption becomes a natural consequence.

Overall, Bitcoin payments are moving from the laboratory to the checkout counter. This change is not accompanied by grand publicity but is steadily transforming a corner of the global payment ecosystem.

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TokenTherapist

· 01-09 15:25

Wow, the Lightning Network has really taken off? What is it like to have instant response times? Finally, no more waiting around for ages.

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FOMOSapien

· 01-06 15:55

With the emergence of the Lightning Network, payment confirmation is instant. Merchants now truly have a reason to start using it.

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MetaverseLandlady

· 01-06 15:51

I think these numbers are a bit overly optimistic; I'm actually somewhat skeptical about the actual activity level. A 53% surge sounds great, but what about the total number? It's less than 20,000, which is negligible in the global merchant ecosystem. The Lightning Network is indeed faster, but are there really that many people using BTC at the checkout? Or is it just a small circle of enthusiasts hyping themselves up? Honestly, I'm more interested in knowing the actual transaction volume of these merchants, rather than just the number of merchants. Let's clarify one thing: Are Home Depot and Gucci really conducting a large volume of transactions with BTC, or are they just putting up a facade? Can this growth be sustained, or will it revert to just symbolic significance again? It seems we need to look at data over another six months to make a proper judgment; jumping to conclusions now is a bit premature.

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LadderToolGuy

· 01-06 15:49

53% surge? What does it mean, just that the infrastructure is in place --- Lightning Network instant confirmation truly changed the game; it was really too slow before --- Gucci has started accepting it, which shows it's not just a gimmick --- Zero-cost integration? Then why didn't the giants do it earlier? That's just too outrageous --- Wait, real active users are the key; don't tell me it's another set of fake data --- The cashier will show the true strength; this time it seems really different --- From 12,000 to nearly 20,000, the growth is indeed rapid, but why does the South African market still need to be mentioned separately? --- The problem is that ordinary people still don't know how to use it

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