Summary
TLDR: Braiins, a Bitcoin mining pool, has added Lightning as an option for miners to receive payments, reducing fees and eliminating minimum payouts. This is especially beneficial as the network approaches its next halving, reducing the miner reward from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC. The feature is currently in private beta with public access coming soon, and it could help decentralize mining and benefit smaller miners in particular.
Key Points
1. Braiins, Bitcoin’s longest-standing mining pool, has become the first pool to add Lightning as an option for miners to receive payments, optimizing the way miners receive their rewards.
2. With the upcoming Bitcoin halving reducing miner rewards, the integration of Lightning payments eliminates the need for minimum payouts and reduces on-chain Bitcoin fees, making it especially beneficial for small scale miners.
3. Lightning payouts not only provide a new payment option for miners but also help decentralize mining further, benefiting Bitcoin as a whole by improving network stability and reliability.