Spiral, an open-source Bitcoin initiative backed by Block, is soliciting proposals for projects aimed at increasing Bitcoin payment adoption over the next five years. The organization is specifically seeking ambitious ideas, referred to as moonshots, rather than minor interface updates.
The request for proposals operates through Spiral’s existing grants program, which has previously supported hundreds of contributors from over a dozen countries. This initiative is not a formal contest, but rather a call for submissions that align with the group's broader objectives.
Current efforts by Spiral include the Bitcoin Merchant Community, which encourages small businesses to adopt Bitcoin by highlighting potential savings of nearly 3% on credit card fees. Additionally, the group is developing Lightning Network payment integration for Mesh LLM, a peer-to-peer network for AI inference.
Integration for Lightning Network payments within Mesh LLM began in October 2026, following public discussions on October 3. As of early October 2026, the payment layer remained under development with no confirmed production transactions. Furthermore, the x402 payment standard for AI agents added Lightning Network support in September 2026.
Founded in 2019 under Block, then known as Square, Spiral originally focused on accelerating open-source Bitcoin development. The organization has since expanded its scope to include open AI infrastructure, inviting grant proposals that explore new connections between Bitcoin and artificial intelligence.
