Amboss on April 28, 2026, launched RailsX, a peer-to-peer exchange for trading Bitcoin against stablecoins directly on the Lightning Network, debuting with two pairs, USDT-L and USDC-L, from issuer Speed Wallet. The platform enables users to trade without surrendering custody of their funds to any third party.
"RailsX lets users trade, hold, and move value on Lightning without ever giving up control of their money," said Jesse Shrader, Co-Founder and CEO of Amboss. "We’re unlocking Bitcoin’s potential as a medium of exchange by serving global stablecoin demands without cross-chain DeFi risks."
The exchange operates as a Lightning-native layer, routing trades through existing payment channels for near-instant atomic settlement. There is no centralized order book; instead, the system uses routed liquidity paths similar to how Lightning payments are processed. Speed Wallet provides the issuance and fully-backed reserves for both USDT-L and USDC-L, extending infrastructure that it has operated in a closed-loop environment for the past 18 months. Node operators can access the platform through the open-source node manager Thunderhub.
"Speed Wallet built this technology with one goal: to make stablecoins on Lightning accessible to everyone," said Raj Patel, CEO of Speed Wallet. He described RailsX as the distribution platform that can take self-custody stablecoin trading mainstream on the Lightning Network. The launch comes as the Lightning Network's total capacity stands at approximately $380 million, or around 4,870 BTC, according to data from The Block. RailsX extends Amboss's existing Rails product, which allows users to provide liquidity, creating an integrated system where users can supply, trade, and settle on Lightning while maintaining self-custody.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
