**News Flash: Marathon Digital Eyes Bitcoin Layer-2 for Cross-Border Payments**

Marathon Digital (MARA) is on the lookout for blockchain developers to collaborate on Bitcoin (BTC) Layer-2 solutions aimed at streamlining cross-border BTC payments. Speaking at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Julian Duran, Marathon's product lead for side chains, emphasized the importance of cross-border payments, citing them as a top development priority.

Duran highlighted the inefficiencies of current overseas payment systems, which can cost 8-10% of the transaction value and take 3-4 days to settle. In contrast, BTC transfers typically settle in under 10 minutes, with Layer-2 solutions promising even faster speeds.

Regulatory compliance remains a significant hurdle, but Duran noted that emerging markets offer a more supportive environment for new payment systems. Beyond payments, Marathon is also exploring tokenized real-world assets, including whisky barrels and French castles.

Marathon, one of the largest corporate BTC holders, added $100 million worth of BTC to its treasury in July, bringing its total to around 20,000 coins valued at over $1 billion.