Williston, a city in North Dakota, is now accepting crypto payments, via a collaboration with BitPay, according to the finance director of the city, Hercules Cummings.
“We have partnered with BitPay, the largest virtual payment merchant whose partners include Microsoft and Facebook. We are the first municipality in the State of North Dakota, and the third in the nation, to offer this service,” Cummings revealed.
For now, only utility bills can be paid in crypto, but the city already plans to expand to bills for permits, licenses, or landfills, in the future.
The announcement shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the city has committed itself to exploring various methods of payments in order to keep up with the alternative ways of making payments these days.
“There are also a number of advantages to utilizing these online payment methods including security, convenience, and cost savings,” mentioned Cummings.
Per the announcement, BitPay will charge a 1% fee for paying utility bills online, compared to the 3% fee that other payment services, such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, ask for.
If you are a resident of the city, you can visit the official website of Williston, where, by providing your account information, you will receive a BitPay invoice. You are able to create a digital wallet for payments directly with BitPay or using other crypto exchanges.