Digital Asset plans U.S. state benefits pilot on Canton Network

Digital Asset and the American Idea Foundation are launching the RISE program, a pilot initiative scheduled for Q1 2027 to distribute state-administered benefits via blockchain technology. The project aims to consolidate fragmented government assistance into recurring payments while implementing automated spending controls to mitigate income-based benefit penalties. By utilizing the Canton blockchain, the system manages complex rules and permissions while ensuring sensitive recipient data remains secure. This development highlights the growing institutional interest in using distributed ledger technology to modernize public safety nets and improve administrative efficiency. Beyond this social welfare application, Digital Asset has recently demonstrated the versatility of the Canton network through high-profile financial use cases. These include testing Japanese government bonds as digital collateral with major firms like Nomura and Mizuho, as well as settling tokenized U.S. Treasury trades between Franklin Templeton and Virtu Financial. These diverse pilots underscore the platform's capability to handle both regulated financial assets and sensitive government-issued payments on a unified infrastructure.