River

River Financial Inc. is a United States company, founded in 2019, that lets you buy, hold and earn interest on bitcoin in a single account. It deals in bitcoin and nothing else. Access is narrow: the terms require a US citizen or permanent legal resident with a Social Security Number or Taxpayer ID, living in a state the firm serves, according to its website, checked on 5 August 2026.

The point that matters most sits in the small print. River states plainly that it is not a bank. Dollars are held at Lead Bank, a member of the FDIC, and insured up to 250,000 dollars, counting any other balance you keep at that bank in the same ownership capacity. Bitcoin gets none of this: the firm says bitcoin is not a deposit, is not insured by the FDIC or SIPC, and may lose value. The cover answers for a failure of Lead Bank, not for a failure of River, and not for theft.

On the cash side River advertises 3.30 percent APY, quoted as the rate in force on 14 December 2025 and described as subject to change. Interest accrues only on money that has settled at the bank, and the payout can be taken in dollars or in bitcoin. Balances credited before they settle are not covered during that gap.

Costs are stated rather than buried. Recurring buys carry no fee. On automatic bitcoin withdrawals the network fee is set at the moment of execution and will not exceed 3 percent of the total. River publishes a monthly proof of reserves and its company accounts, says all client bitcoin sits in multisig cold storage once bought, and says it does not lend those coins out.

The regulatory position is easy to check. River appears under NMLS ID 1906809, and its licences page lists a state money transmitter licence, with number and supervising agency, in dozens of US jurisdictions. Sign-in controls include two-factor authentication, new device verification and adjustable send limits. None of this is UK oversight, and the service is closed to non-US residents anyway.