&w=3840&q=100)
Jack Dorsey's Square enables bitcoin payments for merchants; details here
SI Reporter New Delhi
Jack Dorsey's financial services platform, Square, has officially rolled out support for Bitcoin (BTC) payments across its merchant network. The company said that businesses using Square's point-of-sale systems can now accept Bitcoin as a form of payment.
The feature is integrated directly into Square's payment infrastructure, allowing merchants to receive Bitcoin payments alongside traditional options like credit cards and digital wallets. The rollout marks a notable expansion of Square's cryptocurrency offerings, aligning with Dorsey's long-standing support for Bitcoin. However, Square has not disclosed how many merchants have opted in to accept Bitcoin so far.
square sellers on bitcoin starting today https://t.co/e2Ty2IN6Rf
— jack (@jack) July 22, 2025
Bitcoin payments on Square will be processed using the Lightning Network, which enables faster and lower-cost transactions compared to traditional Bitcoin transfers. Merchants will also have the option to automatically convert Bitcoin into fiat currency to reduce exposure to price volatility.
Notably, the company is currently testing this new Bitcoin option with select businesses and plans to roll it out to more sellers by 2026, all powered by the Lightning Network to enable low-fee, near-instant transactions.
Earlier, in May this year, Square announced that its parent company, Block, Inc., planned to integrate Bitcoin payments into Square's systems. "By leveraging the Lightning Network, the Square Point of Sale app will allow merchants to accept Bitcoin payments directly through their Square hardware for near-instantaneous, low-cost transactions," the company said at the time.
About Square
Co-founded by Jack Dorsey, Square is a US-based financial technology company that helps businesses accept payments and manage daily operations. It began with a mobile card reader that allowed small merchants to process credit card payments via smartphones. Since then, Square has evolved into a comprehensive platform offering payment solutions, point-of-sale systems, and tools for payroll, inventory, and online ordering. The company supports both in-person and digital commerce across a variety of industries. Square is a subsidiary of Block, Inc., which also owns Cash App and other fintech ventures.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Amid clean energy push, India a green flag for climate investors
India is rapidly emerging as a key destination for climate capital, driven by rising demand for clean electric alternatives and a growing push from heavy industries towards zero-emission technologies. The country has attracted more than $2 billion in climate-focused capital over the past year alone, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) data. Over the past 8–12 months, major climate investors such as TPG Rise Climate, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, LeapFrog Investments, Lowercarbon Capital, and Fullerton Fund Management have moved beyond cautious pilot projects to make strategic bets in India's energy and clean tech sectors. This influx of climate funding is fuelled not only by environmental urgency, but also by a confluence of favourable factors: cost parity with traditional energy sources, inflection in consumer demand, and supportive policy frameworks. India's clean energy demand is increasingly being powered by essential services — including logistics, cooling, and distributed power — rather than discretionary consumption. This shift provides investors with confidence in both long-term scalability and durable margins, say industry experts. 'There's been a marked uptick in growth and infrastructure capital doubling down on platform plays across circularity, e-mobility, OEMs, battery lifecycle management and energy storage,' said Nakul Zaveri, partner and co-head of Climate Investment Strategy at LeapFrog Investments, which plans to commit over $500 million to climate solutions. A key part of this strategy includes a $60 million investment by the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional backing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Temasek. Globally, climate finance surpassed $2 trillion in 2024, with a significant portion of private capital flowing into electric mobility, battery storage, and green infrastructure. Singapore-based Fullerton Fund Management recently made its first investment under the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund, acquiring an equity stake in Routematic, an AI-driven corporate transport company in India. 'Climate finance in India is poised for a surge, increasingly driven by market economics,' reckons Akhil Jain, investment lead at Fullerton Carbon Action Fund. 'Clean energy and key segments of electric transport are now at or beyond cost parity with conventional options.' This shift is reshaping investment patterns. Funds are increasingly focused on companies with strong revenue models and proprietary technology. 'There's surging demand for low-emission, resource-efficient technologies, especially in sectors like transport and energy,' said Shailesh Vickram Singh, founder of Climate Angels, which has backed 22 startups in the EV, clean air, and climate tech space over the past two to three years. Rather than backing isolated innovations, investors are now prioritising integrated operators who can build full value chains and deliver resilient, scalable infrastructure solutions. 'What was once seen as high-risk is now attracting a premium, especially for operators executing climate strategies at scale,' said Zaveri. This evolution also reflects a broader recognition of the importance of embedding adaptation into climate solutions. 'Capital is now flowing towards companies that reduce emissions and also build resilience — across sectors like waste, cooling, and mobility,' noted Vasudha Madhavan, founder & CEO of Ostara Advisors, an investment bank focused on electric mobility. Industry leaders see this as an inflection point. Over the next 2–3 years, climate finance in India is expected to deepen its focus on scalable technologies with the potential to transform high-emission sectors. 'This is a pivotal moment,' Madhavan added. 'Climate finance is shifting from small, fragmented bets to strategic, high-value investments that can accelerate the clean transition at scale.'


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Amid clean energy push, India a green flag for climate investors
India is rapidly emerging as a key destination for climate capital , driven by rising demand for clean electric alternatives and a growing push from heavy industries towards zero-emission technologies . The country has attracted more than $2 billion in climate-focused capital over the past year alone, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) data. Over the past 8–12 months, major climate investors such as TPG Rise Climate, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, LeapFrog Investments, Lowercarbon Capital, and Fullerton Fund Management have moved beyond cautious pilot projects to make strategic bets in India's energy and clean tech sectors. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Digital Marketing Healthcare Data Science Technology Public Policy Leadership Data Science Management Others PGDM MCA MBA Design Thinking Product Management healthcare Finance Operations Management Data Analytics others Cybersecurity Project Management Artificial Intelligence Degree CXO Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategies Customer Journey Mapping Paid Advertising Campaign Management Emerging Technologies in Digital Marketing Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Digital Marketing and Analytics Starts on May 14, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Social Media Marketing & Advertising Data Analytics & Measurement Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business Professional Certificate Programme in Digital Marketing Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details This influx of climate funding is fuelled not only by environmental urgency, but also by a confluence of favourable factors: cost parity with traditional energy sources, inflection in consumer demand, and supportive policy frameworks. India's clean energy demand is increasingly being powered by essential services — including logistics, cooling, and distributed power — rather than discretionary consumption. Long-term scalability This shift provides investors with confidence in both long-term scalability and durable margins, say industry experts. 'There's been a marked uptick in growth and infrastructure capital doubling down on platform plays across circularity, e-mobility, OEMs, battery lifecycle management and energy storage,' said Nakul Zaveri, partner and co-head of Climate Investment Strategy at LeapFrog Investments, which plans to commit over $500 million to climate solutions . A key part of this strategy includes a $60 million investment by the European Investment Bank (EIB), with additional backing from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Temasek. Globally, climate finance surpassed $2 trillion in 2024, with a significant portion of private capital flowing into electric mobility , battery storage, and green infrastructure. Singapore-based Fullerton Fund Management recently made its first investment under the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund, acquiring an equity stake in Routematic, an AI-driven corporate transport company in India. 'Climate finance in India is poised for a surge, increasingly driven by market economics,' reckons Akhil Jain, investment lead at Fullerton Carbon Action Fund. 'Clean energy and key segments of electric transport are now at or beyond cost parity with conventional options.' This shift is reshaping investment patterns. Funds are increasingly focused on companies with strong revenue models and proprietary technology. 'There's surging demand for low-emission, resource-efficient technologies, especially in sectors like transport and energy,' said Shailesh Vickram Singh, founder of Climate Angels, which has backed 22 startups in the EV, clean air, and climate tech space over the past two to three years. Rather than backing isolated innovations, investors are now prioritising integrated operators who can build full value chains and deliver resilient, scalable infrastructure solutions. 'What was once seen as high-risk is now attracting a premium, especially for operators executing climate strategies at scale,' said Zaveri. This evolution also reflects a broader recognition of the importance of embedding adaptation into climate solutions. 'Capital is now flowing towards companies that reduce emissions and also build resilience — across sectors like waste, cooling, and mobility,' noted Vasudha Madhavan, founder & CEO of Ostara Advisors, an investment bank focused on electric mobility. Industry leaders see this as an inflection point. Over the next 2–3 years, climate finance in India is expected to deepen its focus on scalable technologies with the potential to transform high-emission sectors. 'This is a pivotal moment,' Madhavan added. 'Climate finance is shifting from small, fragmented bets to strategic, high-value investments that can accelerate the clean transition at scale.'


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
US, China and Russia: Navigating the superpower trilemma
Today, Indian foreign policy discourse is mired in an important debate. Two key assumptions govern this debate: that New Delhi's ties with the US arguably constitute its most important relationship in the 21st century, and that any negotiations with Beijing are a signal of weakness. India-US relations are undergoing a tense phase. The tensions have primarily been instigated by US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25% tariff on India, and an additional, 'unspecified penalty' for continuing to buy energy resources from Russia. His social media comments have gone so far as to refer to both India and Russia as 'dead economies.' Naturally, this has called into question the time-tested nature of the partnership in the face of the 'China challenge'. With the US-China equation changing, India has to balance ties with both as well as work towards its own national interests Speaking of China, after a long period of severed dialogue, postures on both sides have slightly relaxed, though the road to stability vis-à-vis the border issue, or even China's backing of Pakistan, is long and winding. Nonetheless, communication and negotiation between the two neighbours is underway, and is perhaps a welcome break from the silent-but-violent treatment. Besides the volatility in New Delhi's ties with the two superpowers, there exists a bilateral dynamic between the US and China, which vitally impacts India. An intense back-and-forth of escalating tariffs ensued between the two economic giants earlier this year. Yet, Trump's recent statements seem to suggest that a trade deal with Beijing is in the works. So how does that affect India? So far, India has believed that Trump's continued dissatisfaction with Beijing will be a core aspect of mutual convergence between itself and the US. This definitely was the case under the Joe Biden administration. But if anything is certain about Trump, it is that nothing, indeed, is certain. So, the US and China may not be entering a friendly phase, but they sure are inching toward some semblance of stability. The dynamics of this fateful triangle require that India think in its national interests— sustained economic growth and security of its territory from both external and internal threats. And as PM Modi himself remarked in an interview in 2023, '[The] foremost guiding principle in foreign affairs is our country's national interest.' This begs the question: How should New Delhi balance the nuances of its ties with the US and China and the repercussions of their own thaw, while working to achieve its national interests? One way is not to believe that negotiations with China signal weakness. This anxiety is likely to play up as New Delhi and Beijing negotiate. Most recently, India has eased tourism rules, while China has opened up access for Indians to undertake the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. To a great degree, India's geographical, economic and military constraints require that communication with Beijing continue for sustainable security to be achieved. This is not to say that India should give up its confident posture, or discontinue investments in de-risking or border security. It is also not a call for it to shed its affinity for the US. But the steps toward a thaw with Beijing — high-level political conversations, ministerial-level dialogues, and working mechanism consultations on the border — are necessary. And at a time when Trump seems to be prepared to meet the 'China challenge' alone, India must figure its own way out to do the same. Second, is to evaluate costs when it comes to fulfilling its energy requirements through purchases from Russia. The affordability of such purchases, and the historic nature of ties with Moscow (especially in defence), make it a vital partner to New Delhi. However, Trump is prioritising reciprocal access to the Indian market over having a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific. And in a world where the US is vastly more powerful than India — or in most aspects, even China — much of what Trump says, goes. So the question is, where is the common ground between India not shedding its friendship with Russia, not risking insurmountable tariffs from the US, and not enabling China's unchecked regional power? The intertwined interests of economic growth and stable security seem orthogonal in this situation. But it is important to face facts. If it wasn't buying oil from Russia, India would still get the tariff slap. If there was great openness in the Indian dairy and agricultural markets, which Trump consistently demands, there would still be an 'unspecified penalty' for trading with Russia. So, the acknowledgement that there is no absolute win-win, is essential. It boils down to assessing what is more harmful — not making any adjustments to the trade numbers with Russia, or the US. It is also important to acknowledge the trade-offs — if there is a significant reduction in the imports of oil and/or defence equipment from Russia, and the US becomes the preferred alternative source of imports, Moscow may become unabashed in its support for China in its disputes with India. If trade with Russia continues as is, India shall face agonistic tariffs under Donald Trump and an overall lack of support in regional geopolitics. It is indeed true that India's tariffs continue to remain high, market openness is low, and domestic innovation and production capability face challenges. Hence, is the first step to addressing the above mentioned dilemma to take difficult steps towards phased openness? Most likely. It may assuage Trump's concerns about the US's trade deficit, without creating many troubles in India-Russia relations. Finally, the worrisome trend of self-reliance across the globe is leaving fewer alternatives for India to replace its dependencies on the US, China, or Russia. Where it gets affordable imports, it faces controversial dilemmas. Where it sees a strong partner, it faces chiding and deriding. So, moving forward, even as the willingness to negotiate diplomatically must continue, India must invest in its own trajectory toward economic and military modernisation. Illustration credit: Illustration by Chad Crowe (USA) Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.