Well you can use intermediate nodes, it doesn't have to be a direct payment channel between sender and receiver. But to make that work, you have to be online i

Well you can use intermediate nodes, it doesn't have to be a direct payment channel between sender and receiver. But to make that work, you have to be online in real time to receive funds. It's not like on-chain transactions that complete without needing your direct involvement. If you're not online, then somebody has to do that on your behalf and now you're back to having someone else custody your funds. Here's a good article explaining it: https://github.com/moneybutton/yours-channels/blob/master/docs/gentle-lightning.md https://github.com/moneybutton/yours-channels/blob/master/do... (You also need someone online monitoring for fraud, even without intermediates, but at least that part can be outsourced without trusting someone with custody.)