WILLISTON – The City of Williston has announced it now accepts digital cryptocurrency payments for utility bills.

“We have partnered with BitPay, the largest virtual payment merchant whose partners include Microsoft and Facebook,” said Finance Director Hercules Cummings. “We are the first municipality in the state of North Dakota, and the third in the nation, to offer this service.”

Currently, utility bill payments are the only bills eligible to be paid with cryptocurrency. Quality assessments will be conducted, and volumes evaluated, before migrating other bills such as landfill, permits and licenses, according to the city.

There is a cost savings to paying via cryptocurrency as well, with BitPay charging a 1% fee to pay online, versus a 3% fee for other online payment services.

Individuals can establish a digital wallet directly with BitPay or via another service, such as Coinbase or Binance. a