Square reaches 1m Bitcoin-enabled merchants in U.S. rollout

Block’s Square has reportedly enabled roughly one million U.S. merchants to accept Bitcoin payments. 

The rollout uses the Lightning Network, allowing customers to pay in BTC while sellers receive U.S. dollars by default.

The update follows Square’s earlier plan to bring Bitcoin payments to eligible sellers by 2026. Block said in 2025 that the feature would allow merchants to accept Bitcoin through Square hardware, with near-instant settlement and real-time exchange rate handling in the background.

Lightning removes payment friction

Square’s setup is designed to reduce the risk that merchants face from Bitcoin price swings. Customers pay in Bitcoin, while the system handles conversion before settlement. Sellers can opt out if they do not want to accept the payment option.

Crypto.news previously reported that Square began onboarding merchants in July 2025. That report said merchants could keep Bitcoin or convert it into fiat currency, while Lightning supported faster and cheaper payments than many traditional card rails.

Additionally, Block has framed the rollout as part of a wider plan to make Bitcoin useful for payments, not only long-term holding. Miles Suter, Bitcoin Product Lead at Block, said in 2025 that bringing a native Bitcoin experience to sellers moved the company closer to that goal.

Suter said “Rolling out a native bitcoin experience to millions of sellers brings us one step closer to that goal.” He also said “We believe in an open, decentralized, fair, fast, and low-cost money system for everyone.”

Cash App and Bitkey support the strategy

The merchant rollout sits beside other Bitcoin products across Block. Cash App already supports Bitcoin buying, selling and transfers, while Bitkey offers self-custody tools. Block also supports Proto for Bitcoin mining and Spiral for open-source Bitcoin development.

Block’s proof-of-reserves page says customer Bitcoin is held one-to-one, while corporate Bitcoin sits separately on Block’s balance sheet. The company also says the dashboard is a point-in-time snapshot and “not an audit or guarantee of solvency.”

The one-million merchant mark increases Bitcoin payment availability at checkout. It does not prove that consumers will use BTC often for everyday purchases. Actual adoption will depend on fees, tax rules, customer habits and merchant demand.