Paul Ryan-Backed Blockchain Pilot Tackles State Benefits Fragmentation

Digital Asset is partnering with the American Idea Foundation, co-founded by former US House Speaker Paul Ryan, to pilot a blockchain-based program for administering state benefits in the United States.

The initiative, branded RISE, aims to modernize how eligibility rules and payment logic are applied when household circumstances change. The system would group multiple benefits into periodic payments and apply spending constraints across specific categories.

Ryan said the pilot's purpose is to help demonstrate what a 'modern safety net' could look like by addressing fragmentation across benefits and measuring results more rigorously.