Samourai, Nodl to Launch Bitcoin Lightning Node With Mixing Features

The mobile bitcoin wallet project Samourai Wallet is partnering with the French hardware retailer Nodl to create a bitcoin node device that syncs with Samourai's privacy-centric mobile wallet.

Revealed exclusively to CoinDesk, Nodl co-founder Michel Luczak said this new product will be a “full, self-validating, bitcoin and lightning node” that allows people to use the mobile wallet app without relying on Samouri Wallet’s servers. This has long been a point of contention, as critics argue the wallet’s privacy features are insufficient if users’ transaction data is stored on a centralized server anyway.

The new node devices will be available this year, the Samourai Wallet team told CoinDesk. Plus, Nodl node owners will be able to update their devices to add Samourai Wallet’s Dojo software. This software will include a feature called Whirlpool, which batches bitcoin transactions together across wallets in order to obfuscate the source of funds.

“In addition to Dojo being preloaded onto Nodl devices we will also be preloading Whirlpool desktop mixing, allowing users to access and manage their Samourai Wallet mixing on their desktop,” the Samourai team told CoinDesk.

The partnership comes as Nodl sales see an uptick, according to Luczak, expecting to sell roughly 500 devices in 2019 if the current trajectory continues.

“For the first time you’ll have a one-click install mixing service that’s available to anyone,” Luczak said.

Earlier this month, the company behind Samourai, Katana Cryptographic, announced its first venture funding round: a $100,000 investment from Cypherpunk Holdings.

Samurai sword image via Shutterstock