SDM Completes $1 Million Lightning Transaction in Pilot to Kraken, Powered by Voltage
Austin, Texas, February 5th, 2026, FinanceWire
A pilot transaction valued at $1 million at the time demonstrates the Lightning Network’s capacity to support institutional-scale settlement.
Secure Digital Markets (SDM), a leading institutional trading and lending desk, today announced the successful completion of the largest recorded Lightning Network transaction to date, in a proof-of-concept payment to Kraken, one of the world’s longest-standing, most liquid, and secure cryptocurrency platforms.
Taking place on January 28, 2026, the transaction, valued at $1 million at the time, settled near-instantly with near-zero fees, marking the first publicly-reported seven-figure payment on the Lightning Network. The transaction was powered by Voltage, whose enterprise-grade Lightning infrastructure provides the managed nodes, liquidity, and uptime guarantees that regulated institutions require to move value at scale — without the friction, delays, or costs of traditional settlement rails.
"Moving $1 million to Kraken over the Lightning Network marks a definitive shift in the architecture of global settlement. We have moved past the era of questioning Bitcoin’s institutional capacity. Now, the only remaining variable is how quickly lagging institutions will abandon legacy systems. SDM is proud to lead this transition alongside Voltage and Kraken, providing the liquidity and infrastructure necessary to support this rapidly evolving ecosystem." — Mostafa Al-Mashita, Co-Founder and Director of Sales & Trading at SDM.
The transaction highlights the Lightning Network’s ability to support enterprise use cases. While on-chain Bitcoin transactions may take longer to confirm and involve variable fees, the SDM-to-Kraken payment illustrates how the Lightning Network can be used for institutional treasury operations, large-scale settlements, and high-value transfers between regulated counterparties.
“Kraken was founded in 2011 to make Bitcoin accessible, secure, and ready for the world,” said Calvin Leyon, Head of Onchain at Kraken. “That mission is powered by collaboration with our clients, and milestones like this demonstrate what’s possible when innovation meets real-world demand. By dramatically reducing settlement times, the Lightning Network unlocks Bitcoin’s potential at global scale, and we’re proud to help bring that future into reality.”
SDM offers highly liquid onramps through multiple technology solutions, including GUI, API and RFQ execution, bridging the gap between institutional capital and crypto assets. By integrating Voltage’s payments infrastructure, SDM can move to offer clients Lightning-speed settlement for transactions at any size.
Voltage offers a comprehensive Bitcoin infrastructure powering exchanges, neo-banks, fintechs and payment service providers. Beyond instant settlement, Voltage offers Bitcoin-based credit lines that enable businesses to leverage their payment flows to qualify for working capital, providing a more accessible alternative to traditional financing structures.
“This transaction marks an important moment for Lightning and for institutional Bitcoin payments. A $1 million Lightning transfer highlights the maturity of the network and its ability to meet enterprise requirements, and we’re proud to be helping build the infrastructure that will power the future of global money movement.” — Graham Krizek, Founder and CEO at Voltage.
For media inquiries, users can contact 21M Communications at phil@21mcommunications.com.
About Secure Digital Markets
Secure Digital Markets (SDM) is an institutional trading and lending desk that bridges the gap between institutional capital and crypto assets. SDM accommodates the unique execution needs of clients through multiple technology solutions including GUI (SDM.Live), API, and RFQ, offering highly liquid onramps into the crypto market.
About Voltage
Voltage is a Bitcoin infrastructure company providing enterprise-grade Lightning Network solutions for regulated, high-volume businesses. The Voltage platform enables exchanges, fintechs, payment service providers, and institutions to integrate Lightning as a native payment rail with enterprise SLAs, managed infrastructure, and capital-efficient liquidity solutions. Voltage also offers Bitcoin-based lines of credit, allowing businesses to leverage payment flows to access working capital. Learn more at voltage.cloud.
About Kraken
Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world’s longest-standing and most secure crypto platforms globally. Kraken clients trade more than 600 digital assets, traditional assets such as U.S. futures and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and 6 different national currencies, including GBP, EUR, USD, CAD, CHF, and AUD. Trusted by millions of institutions, professional traders and consumers, Kraken is one of the fastest, most liquid and performant trading platforms available.
Kraken’s suite of products and services includes the Kraken App, Kraken Pro, the Krak App, Kraken Institutional, Kraken’s onchain offerings and the Ninja Trader retail trading platform. Across these offerings, clients can buy, sell, stake, earn rewards, send and receive assets, custody holdings, and access advanced trading, derivatives, and portfolio management tools.
Kraken has set the industry standard for transparency and client trust, and it was the first crypto platform to conduct Proof of Reserves. It complies with regulations and laws applicable to its business, while actively protecting client privacy and maintaining the highest security standards.
For more information about Kraken, users can visit www.kraken.com.
Contact
FounderPhil
21M Communications
phil@21mcommunications.com
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