River Financial

Written By
Deniz Saat
Reviewed By
Jonathan Hamel

River Financial is a Bitcoin-only financial institution catering to the needs of long term investors. Find its reviews, details on their fees and app installation details.

Overview

Bitcoin-only financial institution

Bridging the gap between traditional finance and Bitcoin

Best for long-term investors seeking custodial services

Overall Rating
  • Features
  • Ease of Use
  • Payment Options
  • Fees
  • Security

Jump to Section

Who Are They?FeaturesCurrencies SupportedPayment MethodsSupported CountriesFees and Buying LimitsCustomer Reviews
Is 
River Financial
 Safe? 
ProsConsFAQ

Who are they?

Money, as we know it, is being replaced by cryptocurrency. As cryptocurrency continues to shape the future of money, many believe Bitcoin will become the most dominant of the lot. And that is precisely what Alexander Leishman, founder of River Financial, believes. River Financial is a Bitcoin-only financial institution that specializes in buying and selling Bitcoin. More than an exchange, River Financial is a platform for long-term investors looking to invest in Bitcoin.  

River Financial is not your ordinary crypto exchange. It’s a Bitcoin financial institution that operates like a conventional bank that caters to Bitcoin investors—especially the more experienced and serious investors. At River Financial, you enjoy all the services you would with a traditional bank, including phone calls with staff. They have found a niche with their “Bitcoin for Boomers” proposition, and many of their customers are high-net-worth individuals. They provide a premium Bitcoin investing experience for users. Their superior customer service, investment tools, and cutting-edge Bitcoin technology set them apart. Also, River acts as a custodian, where they control and hold the Bitcoin on behalf of their clients, preventing any misappropriation, theft, or loss. In addition to brokerage services, they provide custody services if you are not comfortable managing digital assets on your own.      

Other exchanges lay so much emphasis on being multi-functional, that they often turn out to be confusing or at worst, disappointing. River Financial has its eyes solely set on Bitcoin. By avoiding all other cryptocurrencies and trading options, River is helping speed up the process for Bitcoin adoption. Rather than encouraging active trading like Coinbase or Greyscale, River focuses on what is best for its users in the long term and provides long-term investment opportunities. They are committed to close the gap between traditional finance and Bitcoin, while helping their community grow its wealth. They also offer traditional banking products like joint accounts, IRAs, tax-advantaged accounts and so on.

Features

Bitcoin-only Financial Institution: River Financial is a platform focused solely on helping people invest in Bitcoin and Bitcoin alone.  

Custodial service: Being a financial institution, River Financial offers custodial services where they will hold your Bitcoin for safekeeping. This helps minimize the risk of any misappropriation of your crypto assets.

Pushing Bitcoin Forward: River Financial provides access to cutting edge Bitcoin technology, like Lightning Network, Segwit, payment batching and PSBT-based infrastructure.

Recurring Buy Orders: Through River Financial, you can buy Bitcoin automatically by scheduling recurring orders. This strategy has the potential to save up to 20% on fees.

Performance Tracking: Continuous monitoring of your Bitcoin investment is made possible through the River Financial’s Performance Tracking Tool.

Easy Deposit and Withdraw of Bitcoin: You can carry out quick and easy Bitcoin deposits or withdrawals thanks to the lightning network.

Human Support: River Financial offers an old school customer service where you can call or chat directly with a Client Services Representative - which means no robots.

Tax Optimization: River is the only brokerage that saves you time and money with tax reporting and optimization tools built-in.

Mobile Bitcoin Purchases: Buy, sell, and track Bitcoin with River Financial's iPhone app.

Licensed & Insured: River is licensed by state and federal regulators. USD cash balances on the platform are FDIC insured up to $250,000.

Entity Accounts Made Easy: Easily open accounts and buy Bitcoin for yourself, LLCs, trusts, and other entities through a single unified interface.

Cryptocurrencies

River Financial is a Bitcoin only exchange.

Fiat Currencies

Currently, River Financial only supports United States Dollars (USD) for purchasing Bitcoin.

Payment Methods

All the electronic fund transfers are made with the Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network’s help or Wire transfers. To buy or sell Bitcoin, you have to link your bank account through Plaid. Plaid is a technology that connects and verifies your bank account with your River Financial account.



Supported Countries

Currently, River Financial services are only available to clients residing in the United States.

Check all supported states here.

Fees and Buying Limits

Fees are charged depending on the order size. Fees may be a flat rate or percentage based on the order size. There is a $100 minimum for buy orders and a $10 minimum for sell orders.

River Financial also offers a 20% discount on fees for Recurring Buy Orders.

Customer Reviews

“This is a company that has a good mission and good company culture, and they tirelessly work on their mission of supporting a non-centralized monetary system by offering brokerage and custodial Bitcoin services.” Reference


“The to-do list, which first-and-foremost includes expanding to new states, is long and ambitious. But less than a year ago, River was still confined to the however-many lines of code Leishman had logged to set the company’s cornerstone. The confidence and drive behind the ambition to usher in a new era of bitcoin financial services is perhaps best represented in the crisp and assured assertion of its founder. ” Reference


“River Financial​ is a challenger financial institution specializing in Bitcoin financial services. River Financial’s flagship product, a Bitcoin brokerage, provides retail investors with a high-touch platform to buy and sell Bitcoin.” Reference

Is 

River Financial

 safe? 

Concentrating exclusively on Bitcoin has helped River Financial raise the bar on security, setting new best practices within the industry. They were the Bitcoin community pioneers to embrace the lightning network, a speedier and more cost-effective payment system. River Financial acts as a Bitcoin custodian that holds your Bitcoin for safekeeping. Their Bitcoin infrastructure is physically stored in military-grade vaults, which makes unauthorized physical access near impossible.  All the users’ Bitcoin are safely stored in cold storage, requiring multiple signatures to gain access. Other security features include multi-factor authentication (MFA), layered security and bcrypt password-hashing.

Pros of 

River Financial

  • Bitcoin-only financial institution
  • Provides custodial services for Bitcoin
  • Operates similar to a conventional bank
  • Offers traditional banking products like joint accounts, IRAs, tax-advantaged accounts and so on
  • Promotes long term Bitcoin investment
  • You can buy Bitcoin automatically by scheduling recurring orders

Cons of 

River Financial

  • Supports trading for Bitcoin only
  • Service is only available to clients residing in the United States
  • Doesn’t promote active trading

FAQ

1. What is Lightning Network on River Financial?

Lightning Network is a protocol on River Financial that allows faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions. It currently supports Lightning deposits of up to 0.04294967 Bitcoin and Lightning withdrawals of up to 0.01 Bitcoin.

2. How to make lightning deposits?

1. Go to river.com2. Click “Deposit Bitcoin” under the Account section.3. Choose the deposit option “Lightning”. 4. Enter the amount of Bitcoin you want to deposit, then click “Create Invoice”.5. Pay the invoice by scanning the QR code or by copying and pasting the Lightning invoice.6. You will receive a confirmation indicating the Bitcoin deposit via the Lightning Network.

3. Does River support any cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin?

That is a firm no. River financial is a Bitcoin-only brokerage that deals with the buying, selling and tracking of Bitcoin.

4. Why choose River Financial?

River Financial is the best place to buy, sell, track and use Bitcoin for long-term investors. You have access to a lot of the same services you would at a traditional bank, superior customer service, investment tools, and much more.

WRITTEN BY
Deniz Saat
Deniz Saat is an IT services specialist and technical writer.
REVIEWED BY
Jonathan Hamel
CEO and Founder of Académie Bitcoin

Need Bitcoin support? Book a 1:1 video call with a Bitcoin Pro!

Consult with one of our thought leaders and learn about mining, security, Lightning network, DeFi, taxes and many other topics. Be prepared for the financial revolution and get the knowledge you need..

Connect with a Pro

Sign up for more

Stay curious. Bitcoin education featuring blogs, learning tools and reviews to help you navigate down the rabbit hole.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Other Exchange Reviews

If you’re interested in buying bitcoin, these exchanges are a good place to start.

Read more reviews

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Stay curious. Bitcoin education featuring blogs, learning tools and reviews to help you navigate through the financial revolution.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.