Early Days #11: Boltz by Kilian

Summary:

In this episode of Early Days, Car sits down with Kilian, Co-founder and CEO of Boltz, to explore the inception and evolution of the platform—designed to enable non-custodial swaps across Bitcoin layers. Kilian shares insights into the early challenges of the Lightning Network, the integration of Liquid for more efficient transactions, and the ongoing pursuit of privacy in Lightning payments.

We explore:

Why professional operation of routing nodes is key to network reliability.
How privacy in Lightning transactions is progressing, with advancements like Bolt12.
Liquid’s shifting role as a valuable option during high-fee periods.
Why Kilian sees the Lightning Network as connective tissue across Bitcoin layers.

Chapters:

03:38 How Boltz Evolved
06:16 Liquid’s Role in Lightning
09:25 User Experience and Wallet Integration
12:31 The Boltz Founders Journey
15:30 Technical Challenges and Node Management
18:27 Legal Considerations: Structuring a Non-Custodial Business
21:39 The Future of Lightning Network and Privacy Concerns
41:52 How Private is Lightning?
45:16 Bolt12 in Focus
48:55 Compliance Challenges in an Open Bitcoin Ecosystem
52:10 Rethinking Liquid
59:28 Lightning Network and Channel Management

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Podcast Episode Details

Early Days #11: Boltz by Kilian