Tether Unveils Bitcoin Faucet in Self-Custody Wallet to Drive Lightning Onboarding

Tether has integrated a Bitcoin faucet into its tether.wallet self-custody app, enabling instant Lightning Network payouts of small BTC amounts to simplify user onboarding and showcase low-fee transfers. CEO Paolo Ardoino announced the feature at Bitcoin 2026 in Lugano, where users link tether.me usernames and reply '@btc' to claim rewards, avoiding on-chain delays. The wallet now unifies BTC, USDT, and XAUT management, echoing Bitcoin's original 2010 faucet (5 BTC per user) and Block's planned April 19 relaunch. This adoption push could modestly lift Lightning activity and incremental BTC demand without immediate price pressure. (98 words)