CoinDesk Podcast Network Is HODLing Killing Bitcoin Adoption?
Feb 23, 2026
Mark Zalan, CEO of GoMining building Bitcoin payment rails, argues Bitcoin must become a spendable currency. He challenges the digital gold label. He outlines infrastructure hurdles, layer solutions, and GoMining’s 2026 rollout to enable payments that compete with Visa and Mastercard. He highlights merchant adoption cycles and why Asia-Pacific matters for payments innovation.
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Bitcoin Needs A Payment Track To Fulfill Its Promise
- Bitcoin's original promise includes becoming a digital currency, not just digital gold.
- Mark Zalan argues accumulation succeeded but the payment/use component remains the next frontier for true adoption.
Build Payment Rails Before Expecting People To Spend
- Build payment infrastructure first to enable mindset change from holding to spending Bitcoin.
- GoMining plans 2026 rollout of level-one and level-two rails so merchants can accept instant, low-cost Bitcoin payments.
Give Merchants A Clear Financial Incentive
- Enable merchants to accept Bitcoin with near-zero transaction cost to displace Visa/Mastercard acquiring fees.
- GoMining's solution records payments immediately on-chain and targets costs well below existing networks.