Digital Asset and Paul Ryan’s foundation pilot blockchain for state benefits in 2027

Former House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation is teaming up with Digital Asset to put welfare payments on a blockchain. The pilot, called RISE (Resources for Independence, Stability, and Employment), plans to consolidate and distribute state-administered benefits across three US states starting in Q1 2027.

The system runs on the Canton Network, a public Layer-1 blockchain built by Digital Asset specifically for institutional use. It’s designed to handle sensitive government data with privacy protections baked in.

What RISE actually does

The core idea is deceptively simple: take the messy patchwork of state benefit programs and combine them into unified monthly payments. Right now, recipients of public assistance often navigate multiple agencies, separate application processes, and different payment schedules for things like food assistance and childcare subsidies. RISE aims to streamline all of that into a single system.

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.

Paul Ryan framed the initiative around states reasserting leadership in welfare reform. Digital Asset CEO Yuval Rooz emphasized Canton’s ability to coordinate across public infrastructure while keeping individual users’ data private.

Why Canton, and why now

Unlike Ethereum or Solana, the Canton Network has no native token. There’s no trading, no tokenization play, no DeFi protocol bolted on top. Digital Asset raised $135 million in 2025 and secured additional funding in 2026, giving it the runway to pursue large-scale public sector contracts. The Canton Network launched publicly around 2023-2024.

Three states will participate in the initial pilot, though the specific states have not been publicly identified.

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