Blockchain-Powered Welfare Reform Launches in Q1 2027
Digital Asset has teamed up with the American Idea Foundation to launch RISE (Resources for Independence, Stability, and Employment), a blockchain-based system to consolidate and distribute state-administered benefits. The pilot program will start in Q1 2027 and involve three US states. The Canton Network, built by Digital Asset specifically for institutional use, will handle sensitive government data with privacy protections.
RISE aims to streamline the patchwork of state benefit programs into unified monthly payments, making it easier for recipients to access benefits without navigating multiple agencies and separate application processes. The blockchain layer adds three capabilities: automatic adjustments to benefit amounts based on changes in household income and employment status; real-time monitoring of expenditures across benefit categories by authorized parties; and enhanced fraud prevention through transparent, immutable transaction records.
Digital Asset CEO Yuval Rooz emphasized Canton's ability to coordinate across public infrastructure while keeping individual users' data private. Paul Ryan framed the initiative around states reasserting leadership in welfare reform. The specific states participating in the initial pilot have not been publicly identified.