El Salvador Bitcoin ATM network to receive Lightning Network upgrade

Athena Bitcoin, the company operating a state-owned chain of crypto ATMs in El Salvador, plans to roll out Lightning Network into 100 machines by December 2023.

According to a press release from Nov. 7, Athena Bitcoin Global and Genesis Coin have already enabled the use of the Lightning Network technology across their technology infrastructure and will now begin implementing it, first in El Salvador and then across Latin America.

Out of the 215 active crypto ATMs in El Salvador, the remaining Chivo-branded kiosks and the Athena-branded ones will receive the Lightning Network upgrade in Q1 2024.

The country’s leader, Nayib Bukele, who made Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender in 2021, recently announced his run for reelection as president in 2024. “Five more [years], five more and not one step back,” Bukele said in a speech in front of thousands of Salvadorans.