The financial world is undergoing a transformation. Customers no longer settle for slow, expensive, and outdated payment systems. They expect instant, mobile-first financial services that mirror the speed of the internet. This shift is already underway. Institutions that want to remain competitive will need to integrate Bitcoin rails into their platforms not as a “crypto feature,” but as core infrastructure for global payments and deposits.
Three Forces Converging in 2025
The first driver is mobile-first finance. Smartphones are now the center of financial life. GSMA estimates mobile technologies already contribute nearly 5.8% of global GDP, worth about $6.5 trillion, with that figure projected to reach $11 trillion by 2030. Customers expect banking and payments to be phone-first by default, and institutions that fail to meet this expectation will fall behind.
The second driver is the broken state of cross-border payments. Global remittance fees still average around 6.49%, and international transfers remain slow and unpredictable. Even the G20 has acknowledged the problem by setting formal targets to make cross-border payments faster, cheaper, and more inclusive by 2027. This is a clear signal that today’s financial rails are not good enough.
The third driver is Bitcoin’s mainstream adoption. With the approval of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in 2024 and integrations of the Lightning Network by platforms like Cash App, Coinbase, and Robinhood, Bitcoin has moved from niche speculation to mainstream settlement infrastructure. Users increasingly expect Bitcoin compatibility somewhere in their financial stack.
The Business Case for Bitcoin Rails
For institutions, the case for adding Bitcoin rails comes down to retaining deposits, winning in cross-border transactions, and improving unit economics. Customers want the ability to buy, hold, and send Bitcoin without leaving their app. If they cannot, they will find another platform that offers it. Coinbase and Cash App have already trained the market to expect instant, low-cost Bitcoin transfers, making this a competitive necessity.
The cross-border opportunity is just as compelling. With remittance flows to low and middle income countries projected to hit $690 billion in 2025, offering fast and affordable international payments represents a massive growth channel. By using Bitcoin and the Lightning Network for settlement, institutions can accept local fiat, settle in BTC, and deliver local fiat on arrival at a fraction of today’s costs.
On the unit economics side, Lightning has proven its efficiency. Public capacity has remained steady at around 4,400–5,600 BTC since 2022, yet transaction volumes in USD terms continue to rise. This shows that providers are doing more with the same capacity, thanks to Lightning’s design for instant and low-cost settlement compared to cards or correspondent banking.
Compliance and Why APIs Matter
Regulators are also paying close attention. Since 2019, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has updated its standards for virtual assets and virtual asset service providers, including requirements under the Travel Rule. Jurisdictions are still catching up, but momentum is clear, and expectations are rising.
That’s why having compliance-ready Bitcoin rails matters. APIs need to expose the right data fields and workflows so institutions can meet AML and CFT requirements as they evolve. Infrastructure must balance innovation with compliance to satisfy both customers and regulators.
Neutron API: Plug-and-Play Bitcoin Infrastructure
Neutron offers an API designed to help institution and digital platforms add Bitcoin rails without needing Lightning engineers or operating their own nodes. Through Neutron, institutions can handle buy and sell, pay-ins and pay-outs, creating invoices, confirming payments, and auto-converting to and from local fiat. They can also orchestrate cross-border corridors, moving from fiat to BTC and back again with observability and callbacks for remittance-like experiences.
Liquidity and channel management are abstracted away, with institutions setting policy while Neutron handles the plumbing to keep payments reliable. Most importantly, the API is built to be compliance-ready, exposing the data needed to meet Travel Rule and AML standards.
The ability to quickly add Bitcoin rails creates immediate product opportunities. A wallet can roll out Bitcoin savings features, recurring buys, Lightning deposits and withdrawals, and instant transfers in a matter of weeks rather than quarters. A neobank can pilot global money transfers that land directly in local bank accounts or wallets, similar to what Neutron Wallet has demonstrated in the Vietnam corridor, but with full ownership of the user experience and relationship.
The Bottom Line
Customers do not wake up wanting “crypto features.” They want money that moves like the internet. In 2025, that means institutions need Bitcoin rails integrated behind familiar interfaces so users can save, send, and receive in the currencies they live in while providers settle globally at internet speed and cost.
Neutron API is designed to make this possible. It offers a plug-in Bitcoin Lightning that helps wallets and neobanks retain deposits, capture cross-border flows, and meet compliance standards, all without rebuilding their entire stack.
To learn more, visit neutron.me.
