Fiserv Launches Roughrider Coin on Solana for North Dakota Banks
Bank of North Dakota’s Roughrider Coin is the first live deployment on Fiserv’s digital asset platform, with VersaBank handling issuance and reserves.
Key Notes
- Fiserv’s digital asset platform is live with Roughrider Coin, bringing Solana-based settlement to North Dakota’s interbank network.
- More than 90 banks and credit unions participate in the initiative, with access through Fiserv’s existing Commercial Center system.
- VersaBank handles issuance, custody and reserves, while Roughrider Coin remains restricted to financial institutions rather than retail buyers.
Fiserv has launched its digital asset platform with Bank of North Dakota’s Roughrider Coin as its first live deployment. The dollar-backed stablecoin runs on Solana and gives more than 90 participating banks and credit unions in the state a new way to transfer money between institutions.
The payments technology company announced the launch on October 1. Banks will access the service through Commercial Center, the online banking system they already use for interbank payments, bringing blockchain settlement into an established banking workflow.
VersaBank Handles Issuance and Reserves
VersaBank’s announcement identifies its US subsidiary, VersaBank USA, as the partner providing digital asset technology and custody services. Its responsibilities include issuing and redeeming Roughrider Coin, safeguarding assets and managing the reserves backing the token.
Fireblocks supplies the digital asset infrastructure and tokenization services, while Solana processes transactions. Bank of North Dakota provides program oversight. The arrangement separates the bank’s governance role from issuance, custody and the underlying blockchain infrastructure.
VersaBank describes Roughrider Coin as designed exclusively for payments between North Dakota’s community banks and credit unions. The intended benefit is near-real-time settlement that fits existing payment systems, rather than requiring each participating lender to develop its own blockchain service.
A Bank-to-Bank Token, With No Retail Access
Bank of North Dakota’s program overview describes Roughrider Coin as a permissioned, fully reserved token deposit. Participation is voluntary and limited to financial institutions; the public cannot buy or access it.
The bank says each token is backed one-to-one by US dollars. Access controls apply to the asset even though transactions use Solana’s public blockchain, allowing institutions to use shared infrastructure while restricting who can hold and transfer the token.
For smaller lenders, the operational appeal is the ability to initiate, approve and settle payments through familiar channels. The bank positions the service for treasury activity and loan payoffs, where business-hour cutoffs and processing delays can complicate money movement.
From the 2025 Announcement to Live Payments
Fiserv and Bank of North Dakota first outlined the project in October 2025, with availability for the state’s financial institutions planned for 2026. The latest release marks its move into production, following that earlier development announcement.
The rollout follows other efforts to connect stablecoins with business payments, including the recent Open USD launch. Roughrider Coin has a narrower initial audience: regulated institutions moving money within North Dakota’s banking network.
The launch announcements identify the participating network but do not disclose transaction volumes or circulating supply. Those figures would help establish how heavily the service is being used as institutions adopt the new settlement option.
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