North Dakota City to Accept Cryptocurrencies for Utility Bill Payments

Williston, a city in North Dakota, plans to accept cryptocurrencies for utility bills online payments, becoming the first in the state to adopt crypto assets.

According to City Finance Director Hercules Cummings, the city has partnered with BitPay, one of the largest bitcoin payment service providers in the U.S. Payments will be converted from crypto to fiat in real-time.

Paying Bills with Crypto

The city council would first monitor how citizens respond to crypto payments. Utility bill payments are the only bills available to be paid with crypto.

However, if volume and interest are significant, the city will expand the options by allowing landfills, permits, and licenses to be paid with crypto. 

Individuals willing to do so only have to visit the official website of the city of Williston, enter their account information to receive an emailed BitPay invoice, and choose their digital wallet and the crypto in which they want to pay.

Citizens can benefit from cost savings when using crypto as well. Exchanges only charge 1% for every transaction, unlike other payment services, which can charge up to 3%.

North Dakota Embracing Technological Change

Cummings outlined that his city is only responding to a growing trend and technological changes. He added that cryptocurrencies represent innovation for the city’s finance department and a significant step to take the lead in the state and nationwide.

“We are pioneers in the state. This is just one of many, many things that’s going to be rolling out of the finance department. We’ve got a lot of exciting things to unveil later on to be the first of many. Our goal is to be industry leaders, not industry laggers.” Said Cummings.

Williston is the third government entity in the U.S. to embrace cryptocurrencies as adoption takes a fast pace in the country. Wyoming is one of those states, which registered Ripple as an entity and has several crypto-friendly laws.

Featured image courtesy of US News.