⚡ [Analysis] The growth of the Lightning Network has been remarkable. But there’s a catch - Larry Cermak

Analysis from the Block's Larry Cermak, shows the Lightening Network (LN) is still dominated by a few node owners which he identifies as a problem going forward. Since it came online last year, LN saw an explosion of growth, now standing at some 2,800 nodes with active channels and about 20,000 total channels. Yet, a common complaint leveled at the LN is the centralized growth pattern it is undertaking. Running a node on the LN is typically undertaken by the technically proficient, creating big actors in the space who dominate the network. Cermak examined one such actor, LNBIG.com, and found that the 20 nodes they run (0.7% of total LN nodes) account for 64% of the networks capacity. According to co-founder of Lightning Labs Elizabeth Stark, LNBIG is in it for routing fees. To Cermak, however, such centralization in what is touted as a secondary layer for the most decentralized currency, Bitcoin ($BTC), seems dishonest at best. While he notes the data is favorable in regards to the future of the LN, he states users should be made aware of large actor domination of the LN.