ACINQ
ACINQ is a Paris-based Bitcoin technology company that builds Eclair, Phoenix Wallet, and Phoenixd on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It operates the largest Lightning routing node and sells a self-custodial Lightning wallet and developer node product to global individual Bitcoin users.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What ACINQ does
ACINQ is a Paris-based Bitcoin technology company founded in 2014 that builds products and infrastructure for the Bitcoin Lightning Network, the second-layer payment protocol designed to make Bitcoin transactions faster and cheaper. Its core technology is Eclair, a full Lightning Network implementation written in Scala using the Akka actor model on the JVM, which was the first implementation to achieve Lightning BOLT specification compliance and has been ranked fastest in independent performance benchmarks. Eclair powers the company's three commercial products: Phoenix Wallet, a self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet for end users featuring automatic channel management via splicing, pay-to-open inbound liquidity, trampoline payments, and peer-encrypted backups; Phoenixd, a minimal Lightning node designed for app and service developers needing to receive payments with automated liquidity; and the ACINQ Node, the largest and best-connected routing node on the Lightning Network with tens of thousands of channels operating reliably since early 2018. ACINQ also publishes Lightning-kmp, a Kotlin Multiplatform Lightning engine targeting iOS, Android, and the JVM that underpins the mobile wallet stack.
The company monetizes a fixed 0.4% fee on outgoing Lightning payments routed through Phoenix, transaction-based routing fees on the ACINQ Node, and likely service revenue from Phoenixd deployments to merchants and developers. Go-to-market is primarily product-led: Phoenix distributes self-serve through Google Play and Apple App Store globally, while Eclair, Phoenixd, and the Lightning-kmp libraries are distributed as open-source software on GitHub enabling self-hosting and developer adoption. Customer segments are dominated by a horizontal long tail of individual Bitcoin users seeking self-custodial Lightning payments, with a secondary segment of app and service developers needing payment infrastructure. Funding history totals approximately $10M across a 2018 seed led by Serena Capital, a 2019 Series A led by Idinvest Partners with Bpifrance participation, and a 2021 extension led by Serena Capital.
ACINQ firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACINQ
- Legal name
- ACINQ
- Website
- https://acinq.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ACINQ is a Paris-based Bitcoin technology company that builds Eclair, Phoenix Wallet, and Phoenixd on the Bitcoin Lightning Network. It operates the largest Lightning routing node and sells a self-custodial Lightning wallet and developer node product to global individual Bitcoin users.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ACINQ industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bitcoin Lightning Network Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- On-Chain Payments & Stablecoin Infrastructure (Issuance, Rails, Treasury) (FSAGAMAD)
Keywords
Where ACINQ is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
ACINQ business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Lightning Network Routing Fees: ACINQ operates the largest Lightning Network node as a routing node, earning fees for forwarding payments across the network. The node charges routing fees for payment forwarding services.
- Phoenix Wallet Fee (0.4% outgoing Lightning): Phoenix wallet charges a fixed 0.4% fee on outgoing Lightning payments. Incoming Lightning payments and on-chain transactions incur only mining fees. This is the primary direct-to-user revenue stream.
- Phoenixd / Node Services for App Developers: Phoenixd is offered as a specialized minimal Lightning node for app and service developers receiving payments, with automated liquidity management. This likely generates revenue through service provision to merchants and developers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Phoenix Wallet - Outgoing Lightning Payment Fee |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Phoenix Wallet - Incoming Lightning Payment (Swap-in) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Phoenix Wallet - On-chain Send (Swap-out) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
ACINQ product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACINQ builds Bitcoin Lightning Network software and infrastructure, anchored by Eclair, a full production Lightning implementation in Scala/Akka. It sells Phoenix Wallet, a self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet for end users (Android and iOS) with single dynamic channel management via splicing, and Phoenixd, a minimal Lightning node for app and service operators needing automated inbound liquidity. ACINQ also operates the largest Lightning Network routing node, providing routing and liquidity services to the network.
Product overview
ACINQ is a Bitcoin technology company building on the Lightning Network. Its product family is anchored by Eclair (a full Lightning implementation in Scala/JVM) and centered on three consumer and operator products: Phoenix Wallet (a self-custodial Lightning wallet for end users), Phoenixd (a minimal Lightning node for app/service operators), and the ACINQ Node (the company's own high-capacity routing node). A shared Kotlin Multiplatform engine (Lightning-kmp) powers mobile wallet variants. The company also maintains open-source Bitcoin libraries (bitcoin-kmp, secp256k1-kmp) that underpin the mobile stack.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Phoenix Wallet: A self-custodial Bitcoin wallet with native Lightning support, offering instant payments with Bitcoin wallet-like UX.
- Phoenixd
- Eclair
- ACINQ Node
Products and services
- Phoenix Wallet A self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet for end users on Android and iOS. Manages a single dynamic Lightning channel via splicing, automates inbound liquidity via Pay-to-Open, supports trustless swap-in/swap-out, peer backups, trampoline payments, and charges a fixed 0.4% fee on outgoing Lightning payments. Targets individual Bitcoin holders seeking Lightning speed and low cost without channel management.
- Phoenixd A minimal, specialized Lightning Network node designed for app and service operators who want to send and receive Lightning payments with automated liquidity management. Targets developers and merchants integrating Lightning receiving into their applications.
- ACINQ Node The best-connected Lightning Network routing node, operated by ACINQ itself, providing payment routing, channel liquidity services, and interoperability to Phoenix Wallet and other Lightning nodes across the network. ACINQ earns routing fees for forwarded payments.
- Eclair A full, production-ready open-source implementation of the Lightning Network specification (BOLTs), written in Scala using the Akka actor model on the JVM. Designed for performance, reliability, and horizontal scalability via cluster mode and a plugin system. Distributed on GitHub and used by node operators and as the underlying stack for ACINQ's own products.
Quantifiable outcome
- Lightning Network routing fee processing with 0.4% fixed fee on outgoing payments
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ACINQ
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ACINQ technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature11 records
ACINQ partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ACINQ competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lightning Labs: Developer of LND, the dominant Lightning Network implementation in Go, and the Lightning Network Daemon suite (Lightning Terminal, Loop, Pool). Direct competitor to ACINQ's Eclair on Lightning infrastructure, with overlapping BOLT contributions and routed-payment economics.
- Blockstream: Developer of c-lightning (lightningd), a core Lightning implementation in C, and a co-author of the BOLT specifications alongside ACINQ. Directly comparable as a foundational Lightning implementation team shaping protocol standards.
- Breez Technology: Maker of Breez SDK and the Breez mobile Lightning wallet, providing self-custodial Lightning to consumers and developers. Competes with Phoenix/Phoenixd on the same retail-self-custody and 'Lightning-as-a-Service' segments.
- Wallet of Satoshi: Custodial Lightning wallet (now rebuilding self-custodial) that competes directly with Phoenix for retail Bitcoin/Lightning users prioritizing simple UX. Comparable product offering and target segment despite different custody model.
- Muun Wallet: Self-custodial Bitcoin and Lightning mobile wallet with simplified UX and submarine swaps. Directly competes with Phoenix for self-custodial retail users who want Lightning without channel management.
- BlueWallet: Open-source Bitcoin wallet with Lightning support via LNDhub, serving power users on iOS and Android. Competes with Phoenix in the consumer self-custody Lightning wallet category.
Broad incumbents
- Block (Cash App): Operates Cash App (Bitcoin + Lightning) and funds Spiral (Lightning development). A broad incumbent in Bitcoin payments whose Lightning work overlaps with ACINQ's consumer/merchant payment rails at much larger scale.
Emerging players
- River Financial: Bitcoin-only financial services platform with Lightning payment support and proprietary analytics on the Lightning Network. Comparable as a Bitcoin-native fintech leaning into Lightning for both retail and merchant use.
- Spiral: Block-funded team building open-source Bitcoin and Lightning infrastructure (including LDK / Lightning Dev Kit). Direct contributor to the Lightning ecosystem from the funding/protocol layer; competes with Eclair as a Lightning toolkit for wallet builders.
Regional players
- Strike: Bitcoin Lightning payment app (originally US-focused, now expanding) for consumers and merchants. Comparable as a Lightning-first consumer payment product, though Strike emphasizes fiat ramps and merchant tools rather than self-custody.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ACINQ social profiles
Digital presenceACINQ financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACINQ leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ACINQ funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ACINQ M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ACINQ
What does ACINQ do?
ACINQ builds Bitcoin Lightning Network software and infrastructure, anchored by Eclair, a full production Lightning implementation in Scala/Akka. It sells Phoenix Wallet, a self-custodial mobile Lightning wallet for end users (Android and iOS) with single dynamic channel management via splicing, and Phoenixd, a minimal Lightning node for app and service operators needing automated inbound liquidity. ACINQ also operates the largest Lightning Network routing node, providing routing and liquidity services to the network.
Is ACINQ a public or private company?
ACINQ is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ACINQ founded?
ACINQ was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ACINQ based?
ACINQ is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does ACINQ make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Lightning Network Routing Fees are the primary driver. The others are phoenix Wallet Fee (0.4% outgoing Lightning) and phoenixd / Node Services for App Developers.
Who are ACINQ's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lightning Labs, Blockstream, Breez Technology, Wallet of Satoshi, Muun Wallet and BlueWallet. Block (Cash App) is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are River Financial and Spiral. Strike is listed as a regional player.
Does ACINQ have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACINQ.
What industry is ACINQ in?
ACINQ's product category is Bitcoin Lightning Network Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAMAD, On-Chain Payments & Stablecoin Infrastructure (Issuance, Rails, Treasury). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 6199.