David Marcus: Bitcoin Set to Transform Everyday Payments

David Marcus, former PayPal president and current CEO of Lightspark, believes Bitcoin (BTC) is on the verge of becoming more than just a store of value — it’s poised to be used for everyday transactions. Speaking on CNBC, Marcus shared his vision for the next phase of digital money, where Bitcoin is integrated into self-custody wallets, allowing users to both earn and spend BTC seamlessly alongside national currencies.

According to Marcus, this evolution is not theoretical but a necessary shift. He foresees a hybrid financial model where people use fiat currencies for daily purchases while earning and transacting in Bitcoin through mechanisms like rewards, tips, or microtransactions. Over time, BTC balances would accumulate in wallets users control, functioning much like digital cash.

He also criticized the traditional financial infrastructure, labeling it outdated and inefficient in an economy that demands real-time global transactions. Systems like SWIFT, he argues, are too slow to support the pace of modern commerce. As such, Marcus sees Bitcoin-based networks as the future, enabling instant and borderless payments — similar to how the internet revolutionized communication.

Through his company Lightspark, Marcus is actively developing the tools to enable this shift. One of the company’s key innovations includes universal money addresses, designed to allow instant, cross-border transfers in various currencies using Bitcoin’s network. If successful, Marcus believes this new financial architecture could position Bitcoin as the foundational layer for global money movement.

With Bitcoin trading near $97,000 and gaining momentum, Marcus’s prediction may not be far off. As BTC adoption grows and infrastructure improves, the prospect of using Bitcoin like cash could become a reality sooner than expected.