Voltage, a business that builds infrastructure for Bitcoin, said on February 19, 2026, that it would start Voltage Credit. The product is said to be the first programmatic revolving line of credit in the business, based directly on Bitcoin payment rails. It uses the Lightning Network for quick finality and lets you pay back the whole amount in US dollars.
The service is aimed at businesses that use Voltage’s platform to process payments. It lets them transmit money now and pay later without having to pre-fund Lightning channels or keep Bitcoin on their balance sheets.
Voltage Credit works like a real revolving line of credit: firms can create credit programmatically and use it right away for Lightning Network payments (in Bitcoin or stablecoins) or other supported transactions. Credit limits are set and adjusted based on the number of payments made through Voltage’s infrastructure, not on static collateral like BTC held.
Payments can be made in USD by regular bank transfers or, if you choose, in Bitcoin. Interest on unpaid sums accrues daily at an annual rate of 12% (APY). There is a flat platform cost, which means there are no usual volume-based transaction fees.
Voltage is the direct lender of record. It makes all loans internally, without using banks, card networks, or third-party fintech intermediaries.
The solution is for chief financial officers and treasurers at US-based businesses that meet certain criteria. These businesses include crypto exchanges, Bitcoin miners, gaming platforms, payment processors, and fintech organisations.
It solves important operational problems, such as connecting Bitcoin-denominated incoming revenue to USD-denominated expenses, preventing forced liquidations of BTC when the market goes down, and preventing Lightning channels from becoming closed liquidity.
CEO Graham Krizek said, “We’re basically bringing the revolving credit model up to date so that it works at the speed of the internet instead of the speed of old banking and card networks.” He stressed that Voltage Credit puts credit straight into Bitcoin rails, which is different from how Stripe (which doesn’t support Lightning) and Block (which has separate credit and Lightning systems) do it.
Voltage Credit is initially available to eligible businesses in most US states, excluding California, Nevada, North Dakota, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., where the company holds commercial lending registration. It is not available in any other country.
The introduction follows Voltage’s help in enabling Secure Digital Markets and Kraken to make a $1 million Lightning Network transaction on February 5, 2026.
This was the largest publicly publicised institutional payment on the network thus far. It is based on Voltage Payments, which went live on the mainnet in late 2025, allowing anyone to send Bitcoin and stablecoins instantly without pre-funding.
For anyone new to crypto, this news shows how Bitcoin’s Lightning Network, known for fast, cheap transactions, becomes more appealing to businesses by adding conventional currency settlement options. This makes businesses less vulnerable to price swings.
People who have used it before will see how it helps Lightning become more widely used in businesses. With the network’s capacity reaching all-time highs in late 2025, tools like Voltage Credit support higher-volume, real-world use cases, potentially driving increased on-chain activity, better liquidity management, and broader utility for Bitcoin as a payment rail.
