Executive Summary
This week’s clearest Bitcoin-payments adoption signal was enterprise and merchant operations converging on practical, repeatable rails: BTCPay Server highlighted live usage/payout metrics while Bitcoin Magazine coverage pointed to BTC Inc standardizing internal Bitcoin operations using BTCPay Server. In parallel, merchant-discovery infrastructure continued scaling—BTC Map updates included a “2k new merchants” snapshot, alongside commentary attributing 2025 directory growth to large integrators (Square POS enablement and MoneyBadgerPay’s merchant additions). At the local level, adoption signals stayed grounded in verifiable merchant acceptance (re-verifications in El Salvador; grassroots onboarding and #spedn demos tied to BTC Map listings and Lightning paycodes).
1) Merchant & Enterprise Adoption
Adoption is showing up both as formalized enterprise payment operations and as locally maintained, verifiable merchant acceptance.
- 2026-01-07: BTC Inc, the company behind Bitcoin Magazine conferences, announced that they standardized bitcoin operations using BTCPay Server across events, payroll, and treasury.
- 2026-01-01: Bitcoin Berlin SV reported 170+ local businesses in Berlín accepting Bitcoin, plus a 2025 festival where participating merchants accepted Bitcoin and prices were set/paid in BTC
- 2026-01-07: Bitcoin Coast reported it re-verified nine businesses still accepting Bitcoin in El Zonte and removed one in El Tunco that no longer accepts Bitcoin
- 2026-01-06: Bitcoin Famba announced onboarding Lwandi Surf (Ponta do Ouro beach) to accept Bitcoin for services, shop, and donations (with a BTC Map listing)
2) Payment Infrastructure
The “last-mile” stack is expanding via large POS/payment integrators, plus apps that abstract Bitcoin away for merchants via instant local-fiat settlement.
- 2026-01-01: US crypto commenator Jameson Lopp noted BTC Map’s up-to-date merchant catalog surged by 53% in 2025, adding that he was “pretty sure” it was due to Square enabling bitcoin payments in POS terminals.
- 2026-01-02: BitcoinEkasi added that MoneyBadgerPay adding several hundred thousand merchants “probably made a significant contribution” to that growth
- 2025-07-02: BitcoinEkasi described Tando as a Kenyan app where users pay in BTC over Lightning while merchants receive KES directly to M-Pesa, “instantly,” with “zero fees,” and without merchants needing to set up anything for Bitcoin
- 2026-01-07: Grassroots payment posts continued to pair Blink paycode addresses with BTC Map listings (e.g., “#spedn” at a listed store)
3) Usage Metrics
Usage indicators this week clustered around processor-level transaction/payout reporting, explicit fee savings from Lightning-based spend, and continued merchant-directory expansion.
- 2026-01-07: BTCPay Server posted usage metrics: ₿2.09 in-person Bitcoin transactions, ₿6.5+ BTC accumulated, and $1M+ in Bitcoin payouts
- 2026-01-05: Tando reported users saved 209,804 KES in transaction fees in December, and 1,508,625 KES across 2025 (with a top spender saving 52,226 KES)
- 2026-01-03: BTC Map reported “2k new merchants” alongside “features, analytics and latest stats”
4) Regulatory & Policy Developments
Policy signals were light in the provided sources, but regulatory clarity continues to be framed as an adoption enabler alongside infrastructure buildout.
- 2026-01-07: A BTC Inc clip quote emphasized an operational principle for Bitcoin businesses:
“Free and open-source software isn’t optional for Bitcoin companies, it’s foundational.” @btcinc
5) Strategic Outlook
The strongest throughline is compounding adoption via (a) integrator-driven merchant scale, (b) merchant-friendly settlement options, and (c) ongoing verification to keep acceptance claims accurate.
- Commentary linked BTC Map’s 2025 directory expansion to major integrators (Square POS enablement; MoneyBadgerPay’s large merchant additions)
- Merchant settlement abstraction remains a key pattern: Tando’s flow keeps merchant UX in local rails (M-Pesa) while enabling Lightning-based customer spend
- Enterprise standardization around merchant ops/tooling remains visible via BTCPay-centered coverage and the explicit emphasis on open-source foundations
- Directory hygiene and real acceptance checks are being reported explicitly (re-verification and removal of no-longer-accepting merchants)
If these patterns continue—integrators expanding merchant reach, settlement options reducing merchant operational risk, and verification keeping listings reliable—the practical role of Bitcoin as a payment rail should increasingly be measured by repeatable checkout behavior and sustained merchant operations, rather than one-off acceptance announcements.
