General FAQ: Lightspark & UMA

About Lightspark

What is Lightspark?

Lightspark is a global payments infrastructure company that enables businesses to send, receive, and settle value instantly anywhere in the world. Built on Bitcoin's open network, Lightspark provides developer-friendly APIs and tools that power real-time, low-cost money movement across fiat currencies, stablecoins, and Bitcoin — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Who uses Lightspark?

Lightspark serves digital banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, wallet providers, fintech companies, merchant platforms, and other financial institutions. Notable customers include Coinbase, SoFi, and Revolut.

Is Lightspark a bank?

No. Lightspark is a payments infrastructure provider, not a bank. Lightspark provides the technology layer — APIs, SDKs, and network infrastructure — that businesses use to build and power payment products. Lightspark does not hold consumer funds or offer banking services directly to end users.

Products Overview

What products does Lightspark offer?

Lightspark offers four core products:

• Grid — A unified API for sending, receiving, and settling value globally across fiat, stablecoins, and Bitcoin.
• Node — Enterprise-grade Lightning Network node management, handling routing, liquidity, and channel balancing.
• Spark — A Bitcoin Layer 2 protocol for instant, near-zero cost Bitcoin and Bitcoin-native asset transfers.
• UMA (Universal Money Address) — An open standard that gives users a simple, email-like address (e.g., $username@domain) for receiving payments across currencies and borders.

What makes Lightspark different from traditional payment processors?

Traditional payment processors rely on legacy banking rails with limited hours, high fees, and slow settlement times (often 1–3 business days). Lightspark is built on Bitcoin's open network, enabling real-time, 24/7 settlement at a fraction of traditional costs — without intermediaries. It also provides a single, unified API that supports fiat currencies, stablecoins, and Bitcoin in one integration.

UMA (Universal Money Address)

What is UMA?

UMA stands for Universal Money Address. It is an open standard that gives anyone a simple, email-like address (e.g., $username@domain.com) that can be used to send and receive payments in any currency, from anywhere in the world. UMA handles the complexity of currency conversion and cross-border compliance behind the scenes.

What is uma.money?

uma.money is the official web portal where users can create a UMA address and link it to their bank or supported payment account. Once set up, you can send and receive money instantly using your UMA address.

How does a UMA address work?

A UMA address looks like an email address with a $ prefix (e.g., $jane@mybank.com). When someone sends a payment to a UMA address, the protocol automatically handles routing, currency conversion, and settlement — the sender and receiver don't need to use the same currency or even the same financial provider.

How does UMA process payments?

When someone sends a payment to your UMA address:

1. A regional financial partner receives the Lightning payment on your behalf.
2. The payment is automatically converted into your local currency.
3. Funds are deposited into your linked bank or payment account in real time, depending on available payout rails.

Is UMA an open standard?

Yes. UMA is an open protocol, meaning any financial institution or wallet provider can implement it. It is not exclusive to Lightspark — though Lightspark is a primary developer and supporter of the standard.

Does UMA work for both individuals and businesses?

Yes. UMA can be used by individual consumers, businesses, and institutions. It simplifies the payment experience for all parties by replacing complex account numbers or wallet addresses with a memorable, human-readable identifier.

How does UMA handle compliance?

UMA is designed with regulatory compliance in mind. The protocol supports the exchange of compliance-related information (such as travel rule data) between financial institutions as part of the payment flow, helping businesses meet KYC/AML requirements across jurisdictions.

Why do I see app.uma.money instead of link.uma.me?

The web address was updated from link.uma.me to app.uma.money to better reflect the focus on payments. Your account and all features are unaffected — everything works exactly as before.

Regional Availability

Where is UMA available?

UMA is available across a growing number of countries, with new regions added regularly. Availability varies by country and depends on whether sending, receiving, or both are supported in your region.

If you're unsure whether UMA is available in your country — or whether sending or receiving is supported — please submit a support ticket and our team will confirm what's currently supported in your area.

What currencies does UMA support?

UMA supports fiat currencies, stablecoins, and Bitcoin. The protocol handles currency conversion automatically — senders and receivers can each use their preferred currency. Exact currency availability depends on your region and the financial partner assigned to your account.

Are some regions receive-only?

Yes. Sending and receiving capabilities vary by country. If sending is not yet available in your region, the app will notify you. New corridors are added regularly — contact support to ask about availability in your area.

Fees and Limits

How much does it cost to use UMA?

Fees depend on where you're sending money, the payout rails available in the recipient's region, and the exchange and network rates at the time of the transaction. UMA fees are variable and not fixed — they may change from minute to minute based on real-time rates. To view the most up-to-date pricing for your destination, visit uma.money and use the test sending function to explore available country options and estimated fees.

Are there limits to how much I can send or receive?

Yes. Limits vary based on your regional UMA partner, your verification status, local regulations, and the financial institutions involved. If a payment is rejected, try sending a smaller amount, wait 24 hours and try again, or submit a support ticket if you believe it was an error.

Can I send funds from all regions?

UMA sending capabilities vary depending on regional availability and partner support. Some regions may support receiving only. Feature expansion is ongoing and users will be notified when new sending capabilities become available.

Grid

What is Grid?

Grid is Lightspark's flagship global payments API. It gives businesses a single integration point for a wide range of payment operations, including cross-border transfers, payouts, pay-ins, card issuance, FX conversion, payroll, and treasury management — all powered by Bitcoin's underlying technology.

Is Grid available 24/7?

Yes. Grid operates continuously — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year — unlike traditional payment rails that are limited to banking hours.

Does Grid include compliance features?

Yes. Grid is designed to be compliance-ready, with built-in regulatory controls integrated directly into the platform.

Node

What is Lightspark Node?

Lightspark Node is an enterprise-grade platform for sending and receiving Bitcoin over the Lightning Network. It handles all the complex infrastructure work — node management, liquidity optimization, channel balancing, routing, and key custody — so teams can focus on building their products rather than managing network operations.

How does key custody work with Lightspark Node?

Lightspark offers two flexible key management options:

• Remote Key Setup (RKS): You hold your private keys on your own servers. Every transaction is signed on your infrastructure, giving you maximum control.
• Operation Signing Key (OSK): Your keys are encrypted and stored within Lightspark's infrastructure, enabling more automated operations while maintaining security.

Spark

What is Spark?

Spark is Lightspark's Bitcoin Layer 2 protocol. It enables instant movement of Bitcoin and Bitcoin-native assets — including stablecoins — at near-zero cost, while maintaining full connectivity to Bitcoin's underlying network infrastructure.

What assets can be transferred using Spark?

Spark supports Bitcoin and Bitcoin-native assets, including stablecoins built on the Bitcoin network.

Security & Compliance

How does Lightspark handle security?

Lightspark employs enterprise-grade security across all products, including flexible key custody options, encrypted key storage, granular permissioning, and SSO support. For Node, businesses can choose to hold their own private keys (Remote Key Setup) for maximum control.

Is Lightspark regulated?

Lightspark operates in compliance with applicable financial regulations and has built regulatory controls directly into its products. For specific regulatory and compliance questions relevant to your jurisdiction or use case, please contact Lightspark's compliance team.

Does Lightspark support travel rule compliance?

Yes. Lightspark's products, including UMA, are designed to support travel rule requirements — the regulatory obligation to share sender and recipient information in financial transactions above certain thresholds.

Managing Your Account

What can I update on my own?

The following can be done directly from your UMA account settings:

• UMA address — You can change your UMA address at any time. See How to Change Your UMA Address for instructions.
• Password — You can reset your password from the login page. See How to Reset Your UMA Password for instructions.
• Bank connection — You can link or replace your connected bank account from Payment settings. See Managing Your Bank Connection for instructions.

Can I update my personal information (name, address, date of birth, etc.)?

Updates to personal information on file — such as your legal name, date of birth, or residential address — cannot be changed through the app directly. Please submit a support ticket and our team will assist you.

How do I close or cancel my UMA account?

Account cancellation is not available as a self-service option. To request account closure, please submit a support ticket and our team will guide you through the process.

Getting Help

How do I contact support?

If you have a question not covered in these articles, you can submit a support ticket through the Lightspark Support Portal.

Where can I find technical documentation?

Full technical documentation is available at docs.lightspark.com, including API references, SDK guides, integration tutorials, and code examples.