It actually is exactly like Hawala, and I've traded BTC in and out with networks that had roughly the same human topography. That was the original killer app or crypto.

FWIW, we Jews (speaking for my family) mostly think the Rothschilds were pretty smart for working out the same type of system by placing a brother in each European capital and banking to kings, keeping a ledger instead of moving physical gold whenever possible. It seems obvious now, but it was "moving fast and breaking things" in the 18th Century.

That's the first time in my life that I see someone mention the Rothschilds without it being an anti-semitic conspiracy text. Is there a good resource you can recommend which talks about their (actual) history?

No, Bitcoin is like sending cash directly to the recipient. Lightning is exactly like cryptographic Hawala, with many hops along the way.