# Lightning Network Gets Real: How Clover's 90-Day Trial Could Change Merchant Payments Forever

Strike just dropped a partnership bomb. CEO Jack Mallers announced that Strike is now officially integrated with Fiserv's Clover platform — and this isn't just another feature announcement. This is Lightning Network actually hitting mainstream merchants.

Here's what's actually happening: a 90-day pilot is live right now. Clover merchants can accept Bitcoin payments via Lightning Network instantly and dirt cheap. And here's the kicker — it works with ANY Lightning wallet. Cash App? Sure. Running a node over Tor? Works. "If it can make a Lightning payment, you can use it," Mallers tweeted.

# # Why This Matters

Clover isn't some niche platform. It's owned by Fiserv, a payment infrastructure giant. We're talking about bringing Lightning to millions of merchants who already use Clover's POS system. After the 90-day trial, Strike plans to hit the Clover app store, then direct integration. Eventually, Lightning sits right there next to Visa and MasterCard as a default payment option.

# # The Real Test

During the pilot, they're measuring three things: transaction speed, cost savings, and actual merchant adoption. Mallers is betting that once payment giants *see* Lightning work in real time — the speed, the cost efficiency — they'll understand why it's "the world's superior payments rail."

This is the moment Lightning moves from crypto Twitter hype to actual checkout lanes.