Digital payments platform Strike said Thursday it has partnered with commerce platform Shopify (NYSE:SHOP) to let merchants accept Bitcoin (BTC-USD) payments as dollars over the Lightning Network, according to a release. The Strike integration, which helps merchants save costs on processing fees as well as generate savings, leverages the Lightning Network to enable instant and cash-final payments, serving as an alternative to traditional credit card networks such as Mastercard (MA) and Visa (V), the release noted. The collaboration will "provide merchants with a cheaper and faster way to accept U.S. dollars using Bitcoin technology,” Strike Founder and CEO Jack Mallers said at the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami. He added that the Lightning Network, a layer 2 payment protocol, "lowers costs, enhances speed, drives innovation, improves financial inclusion, and brings the power of choice to consumers and merchants.” Speaking of the world's largest digital token by market cap, bitcoin (BTC-USD
