November 04, 2024

Blockstream Launches Research Center in Lugano to Accelerate Product Development on Liquid and Lightning

The center will foster collaboration with local partners and startups, dedicating resources to innovative solutions in Liquid and Lightning ecosystems, with CHF 10,000 sponsorships to promising projects.

Blockstream Launches Research Center in Lugano to Accelerate Product Development on Liquid and Lightning

Following a successful series of events at the Plan B Forum in Lugano and the Liquid Developer Bootcamp in Viareggio, Blockstream is proud to announce the opening of a new research center in Lugano, Switzerland.

The center aims to accelerate the development of financial products enabled by the Liquid Network, collaborating closely with local partners, startups, and the thriving Build On L2 community.

This initiative reinforces Blockstream’s dedication to innovation in the financial sector, particularly in Switzerland, a global hub for traditional finance and emerging blockchain technologies.

By combining expertise and resources, the research center seeks to foster growth and drive further adoption of Liquid and Lightning solutions.

“The positive response from key players during our recent events has been inspiring,” said Dr. Adam Back, CEO at Blockstream. “We’re excited to build on this momentum by providing shared resources and support to accelerate development on the Liquid and Lightning networks, especially for financial products that can benefit traditional finance companies.”

Emphasizing Community Growth and Support

A key element of this initiative is the collaboration with Build On L2, an online community of builders on Lightning and Liquid that has experienced tremendous growth, amassing thousands of members.

The community has enrolled hundreds of students in the Elements Academy and provided significant grants, such as USD $150,000 for integrating the Validating Lightning Signer (VLS) into Greenlight—an open-source project enhancing Lightning Network applications across platforms.

Continuing Momentum After the Liquid Developer Bootcamp

The launch of the research center follows the successful Liquid Developer Bootcamp held on October 28 in Viareggio, Italy. Aimed at recruiting talents from Europe and beyond, this intensive, hands-on bootcamp provided more than 20 developers with the skills and knowledge needed to build innovative solutions on Liquid.

The bootcamp focused on real-world applications, guiding developers through key aspects of asset tokenization, Lightning and Liquid interoperability, and building secure financial products on Bitcoin’s infrastructure. After the completion of the bootcamp, developers were connected with Liquid Federation members with the potential for compensation or employment.

Supporting Startups and Developers

Through the Plan B Hub and POW.space community, Blockstream will support startups building on Liquid and Lightning, offering mentorship and dedicated development hours to help them create prototypes.

Maintaining a close relationship with the Liquid developer community, Blockstream has recently released the Liquid Wallet Kit and new language bindings and libraries.

To further encourage innovation, Blockstream will offer CHF 10,000 sponsorships for promising projects, with a panel of judges evaluating submissionsSelected projects will receive an invitation to Lugano, including travel and accommodation, to work on-site and collaborate directly with Blockstream’s team.

Reaffirming Commitment to Financial Innovation

Blockstream reaffirms its commitment to fostering innovation in the financial sector and providing resources to developers and startups.

Developers and startups are encouraged to join the effort. By becoming part of the Build On L2 community, they can contribute to and benefit from a network that is shaping the future of blockchain technology.


About Blockstream

Founded in 2014, Blockstream is a global leader in Bitcoin and blockchain infrastructure, with offices and team members distributed around the world. Serving as the technology provider for the Liquid Network, Blockstream offers a sidechain solution that enables secure, trustless Bitcoin swap settlements and robust smart contracts, empowering financial institutions to tokenize assets efficiently. The company’s Core Lightning is a leading implementation of the open Lightning Network protocol, widely adopted for enterprise Bitcoin Lightning Network deployments. Blockstream Jade, an open-source hardware wallet, delivers advanced security for Bitcoin and Liquid assets in an easy-to-use form factor. For consumers, Blockstream Green is a highly secure and user-friendly Bitcoin wallet.