Michael Saylor, the outspoken bitcoin proponent and co-founder of business analytics software firm MicroStrategy (MSTR), has integrated Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into his corporate email address. This means anyone can use that email address – saylor@microstrategy.com – to send bitcoin (BTC) to the 58-year-old billionaire.

So @MicroStrategy converted my corporate email address into a #Lightning⚡️ address and people keep sending me 21 sats...🧡 pic.twitter.com/FHde6RtA6N
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) April 17, 2023

The integration uses The Lightning Address protocol, which allows developers to replace a standard Lightning invoice, or payment request, with an internet identifier such as an email address.

The Lightning Network is the Bitcoin blockchain’s layer 2 scaling system designed to make bitcoin payments cheaper and faster.

Saylor, who is reportedly worth around $1.2 billion and whose company has amassed approximately 140,000 BTC (about $4 billion at current prices), has been receiving small bitcoin donations from fans after tweeting about the integration.

Bitcoin Lightning Network Lightning MicroStrategy Michael Saylor

Frederick Munawa

Frederick Munawa was a Technology Reporter for Coindesk. He covered blockchain protocols with a specific focus on bitcoin and bitcoin-adjacent networks. Prior to his work in the blockchain space, he worked at the Royal Bank of Canada, Fidelity Investments, and several other global financial institutions. He has a background in Finance and Law, with an emphasis on technology, investments, and securities regulation. Frederick owns units of the CI Bitcoin ETF fund above Coindesk’s $1,000 disclosure threshold.