A standard designed to make Bitcoin payments universal, simple, and interoperable.
Spiral, an independent Block entity focused on Bitcoin projects, has announced Human Bitcoin Addresses (HBA). Based on the BIP 353 standard, these new addresses transform payments that previously required strings like “bc1qz427dc8rjtlef0ukt4w6qazq33tlhp9dt556fh” into something much simpler and familiar, like ₿conorokus@twelve.cash.
Human Bitcoin Addresses make sending bitcoin as easy as sending an email or paying with PayPal or Venmo, without sacrificing decentralization and security principles.
The main use case of Human Bitcoin Addresses is that they make Bitcoin payments truly interoperable, even across different Layer 1 and Layer 2 payment protocols.
How it works
The system is based on the DNS (Domain Name System), the same infrastructure used when browsing the web. When typing a web address, DNS automatically translates readable names into numerical addresses that computers can process. HBAs apply the same principle to Bitcoin payments.
Imagine Bob wants to receive bitcoin. With Human Bitcoin Addresses, the process works like this:
- Bob sets up his personal address through his wallet;
- his payment information is securely stored in the DNS;
- Bob can share his HBA anywhere: messages, calls, business cards, websites;
- when Alice wants to pay Bob, she enters his HBA;
- Alice’s wallet automatically retrieves the necessary information, and the payment is completed.
Differences from other methods
Options like Lightning Addresses have been available for years but come with limitations. They rely on third-party servers that can monitor payments, censor transactions, or even steal funds in certain setups. Additionally, they only work with the Lightning Network, excluding other protocols like Ark, Spark, and Cashu.
Human Bitcoin Addresses solve these problems:
- privacy: no server can track who pays whom or how much is transferred;
- censorship resistance: no central authority can block or freeze payments;
- security: eliminates the risk of malicious servers replacing addresses to steal funds;
- interoperability: compatible with all present and future Bitcoin payment protocols.
Phoenix, one of the most popular mobile Lightning wallets, implemented full HBA support in 2024. Apps like Cash App (with 57 million active users) are also developing integration.
