Best for: U.S. buyers who want high-touch custody plus bitcoin interest payouts.
Consider if: You need concierge funding, River Link, and beneficiary planning under one login.
Not ideal when: You want self-custody or service outside the United States.
Gotcha: River stays custodial until you withdraw, so plan your exit path before you fund it.
Gotcha: ACH withdrawals unlock after funds settle, which typically takes around seven days.
Gotcha: Zero-fee recurring buys skip fees after the first seven days but the bitcoin still sits in River custody until you withdraw.
ACH cash trades instantly but River and Lead Bank release it for withdrawals after settlement, usually in about seven days.
Once you enroll, every settled dollar in your cash balance accrues interest daily and River converts the payout to bitcoin each month.
Yes. River offers business, private client, and beneficiary accounts; contact support to open the right profile.
ACH: Free
Wire: Free from River (your bank may charge)
Direct deposit: Free
What happens:
ACH trades instantly but remains pending until settlement clears. Wires usually post within one business day and direct deposits land each payday.
Save money:
Link your bank once, queue ACH transfers before you need the bitcoin, and use wires for larger amounts you want withdrawable faster.
ACH withdrawals unlock after settlement, typically around seven calendar days.
0.99% down to 0.25% as monthly volume increases
What happens:
River applies its tiered fee across your combined buys and sells for the calendar month.
Save money:
Batch larger purchases, let zero-fee recurring buys run after the first week, and track your tier inside Settings.
| up to $1,000,000 | 1% |
| $1,000,000 - $5,000,000 | 0.70% |
| $5,000,000 - $15,000,000 | 0.40% |
| $15,000,000 and up | 0.25% |
Lightning: Free
On-chain: Miner fee only (you pick the priority)
Auto-withdraw: Free via flexible tier (~24 hours)
What happens:
Lightning sends settle instantly. On-chain withdrawals let you pick the fee tier, and auto-withdraw moves your balance after a short review window.
Save money:
Keep a Lightning wallet ready, test with a small send, and schedule larger on-chain withdrawals when fees are low.
ACH-funded bitcoin stays locked until settlement. Auto-withdraw queues for review before River broadcasts the transaction.
No management fee. Current rate: 3.5% APY paid in bitcoin.
What happens:
After you enroll, River converts daily cash interest to bitcoin and credits it to your balance monthly.
Save money:
Sweep the earned bitcoin to self-custody after each payout so you control the keys.
You can switch payouts back to USD if you prefer to limit additional custodial bitcoin exposure.
Once River and Lead Bank mark your ACH transfer settled, usually about seven days after you initiate it, the funds move from pending to available and you can withdraw.
River covers Lightning routing so you only pay the invoice amount. On-chain withdrawals pass through the miner fee for the priority you choose.
Yes. In Cash > Interest you can switch payouts to USD or unenroll entirely if you prefer not to receive bitcoin.
Best for: Consistent dollar-cost averaging with no funding fee.
| Min per transaction | $10 |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | Varies by account |
| Max per day | Varies by account |
| Max per week | Varies by account |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Available after settlement (~7 days) |
Best for: Large cash moves when you need withdrawal access sooner.
| Min per transaction | $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | Coordinate with River support |
| Max per day | Coordinate with River support |
| Max per week | Coordinate with River support |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Usually within one business day |
Best for: Automating paycheck-to-bitcoin flows without logging in every payday.
| Min per transaction | Employer dependent |
|---|---|
| Max per transaction | Employer dependent |
| Max per day | Employer dependent |
| Max per week | Employer dependent |
| Withdrawal eligibility | Available after funds settle |
3.5% APY Custodial exposure
River pays 3.5% APY on idle cash and converts the interest to bitcoin each month. Your cash stays custodial during this time, which means trusting River's reserves without per-user on-chain proof. Some people use this for working capital while moving long-term holdings to self-custody; others prefer to avoid custodial yield arrangements entirely.
Gotcha: Interest payouts stay custodial until you withdraw. You can set Auto-withdraw to sweep sats automatically or manage this manually based on your preferences.
Assign heirs Guided handoff
Beneficiary plans let your heirs access your River account without hunting for passwords. River becomes a single point of access for those assets, which means your heirs inherit both the balance and the counterparty considerations that come with any custodial service.
Gotcha: This plan covers assets held on River. For holdings in self-custody, you'll want a separate inheritance plan that gives your heirs access to your keys and instructions.
Free after first week Daily, weekly, or monthly
Recurring buys let you build a bitcoin position without timing the market, though your sats stay custodial until you move them. You can pair this with Auto-withdraw to move sats to self-custody automatically, or manage withdrawals manually depending on what fits your workflow.
Gotcha: Recurring buys stay fee-free after the first week, but bitcoin remains in River custody until you withdraw. Self-custody means you hold the keys directly rather than trusting River to hold them for you.
Free (Flexible tier) Scheduled withdrawals
When your balance hits a threshold you set, River automatically moves sats to your wallet using the free Flexible tier. This reduces the time your bitcoin sits in custody, though you give up some control over the exact timing and fee selection compared to manual withdrawals.
Gotcha: Auto-withdrawals use the Flexible tier, which takes about 24 hours to confirm. ACH-funded bitcoin must settle first before any withdrawal can process.
A hardware or paper wallet keeps your bitcoin offline so River cannot be a single point of failure.
Gotcha: Do not photograph or upload the seed; digital copies expose you to remote theft.
Fresh addresses limit the on-chain metadata River and other watchers can tie to you.
Gotcha: Never reuse an address. Create a new one for every withdrawal.
Testing the process with a small amount confirms your withdrawal path before you move more value.
Gotcha: Flexible tier is free but can take around a day. Use Standard for predictable confirmation.
Finish the move to self-custody so River is no longer a custodial bottleneck for your savings.
Gotcha: Auto Withdraw uses the flexible tier, so plan ahead if you need confirmed funds quickly.
Full reserve reduces rehypothecation risk but you still rely on River's controls and jurisdiction. Self-custody gives you final settlement without counterparty risk.
Yes. River supports Lightning withdrawals at no added fee, which is handy for topping up a mobile wallet before moving larger balances on-chain.
Auto-withdrawals default to the flexible tier. Pause or cancel them during high fee spikes and send manually with a fee tier that matches your urgency.
No. River publishes aggregated liability data so you can verify totals without exposing individual accounts.
You can request data deletion once regulatory retention periods end; contact support for the latest policy.
Enable ForceField and contact River security immediately. They can freeze withdrawals while you update credentials.
Monthly Proof of Reserves reports
Verify reservesMultisig cold storage & security
Security practicesCorporate financial transparency
FinancialsTerms of service and legal docs
Legal
River helps U.S. based customers invest in Bitcoin simply and securely with a focus on long-term saving. Unlike many platforms, River holds all Bitcoin in full-reserve cold storage with multi-signatur...
River helps U.S. based customers invest in Bitcoin simply and securely with a focus on long-term saving. Unlike many platforms, River holds all Bitcoin in full-reserve cold storage with multi-signature security and gives users transparency through real-time proof of reserves. This might sound inviting to people who don't want to hold Bitcoin in self-custody but it also means more centralization within Bitcoin.
River's trading fee starts at 1% and drops to 0.25% as your volume grows. Recurring buys skip fees entirely after the first week, and you can pair that with Auto-withdraw to move sats to self-custody automatically—though keeping some balance on River for active trading can make sense depending on your workflow.
ACH deposits trade instantly but stay pending about seven days until settlement clears. Once funds move to available balance you can withdraw to self-custody. River holds the keys during that time, which introduces the usual custodial and counterparty considerations.
Lightning withdrawals are free and instant once your balance is available. On-chain offers Priority, Standard, and Flexible tiers depending on how quickly you need confirmation. Auto-withdraw can move sats automatically when you hit a threshold, though manual withdrawals give you more control over timing and fee selection.
River pays 3.5% APY on idle cash and converts interest to bitcoin monthly. Your cash stays custodial during this time, which means trusting River's reserves without per-user on-chain proof. Some people use this for working capital while moving long-term holdings to self-custody; others prefer to avoid custodial yield entirely.
River serves U.S. residents, though some states face additional verification steps until local licensing clears. The service is custodial, which means River holds the keys while you use the platform—you can withdraw to self-custody at any time once your deposits settle.
