Numo Launches Zero-Fee Bitcoin Tap-to-Pay App for Android
Numo launched a Bitcoin tap-to-pay app for Android using NFC technology and Cashu ecash tokens. The app charges merchants zero platform fees and is available now as a direct APK download.
Key Takeaway
Zero-fee Bitcoin tap-to-pay could challenge traditional payment rails if merchants adopt at scale.
Numo released a Bitcoin tap-to-pay app for Android that works like Apple Pay or Google Pay, but settles in Bitcoin.
The app is free, open-source under the MIT license, and charges merchants zero platform fees. Numo uses NFC technology to accept payments through Lightning Network and Cashu ecash tokens. Merchants can download the app directly as an APK now, with a Google Play Store release expected soon.
Cashu is an ecash protocol that creator Calle released in October 2022, building on blind signature cryptography from David Chaum's 1990s digital cash work. The protocol uses small, interconnected mints that distribute counterparty risk across multiple operators instead of centralizing custody. Cashu ecash held on a mint can auto-sweep to a merchant's Lightning address when it hits a configured threshold.
Numo built the app with support from OpenCash and is developing integration with BTCPay Server payment infrastructure. Features include inventory management, payment history tracking, offline payment support, tipping functionality, and automatic withdrawal thresholds.
Cashu has gained traction in Nostr chat apps, DoS prevention systems, VPN payments, and services for unbanked users. Zeus Wallet integrated Cashu in its alpha release as the first ecash feature to address Lightning's scalability limits for micropayments. The protocol trades Lightning's non-custodial purity for privacy and speed through custodial ecash tokens, now available as a direct APK download for any NFC-enabled Android device.
This article was written based on reporting from Bitcoin Magazine.
