River: A Bitcoin Brokerage Built From the Ground Up

Company Overview

• Name: River
• Founder: Alexander Leishman
• Founded: February 2019
• Headquarters: Columbus, OH
• Employees: 50
• Status: Private

The Bitcoin Ethos: Custody & Trust

River distinguishes itself by adhering to the core Bitcoin principle: "Not your keys, not your coins."

"We built our own custody systems to safeguard clients’ Bitcoin while operating as a regulated financial institution," says Leishman.

This self-reliant approach mitigates risks associated with third-party custodians, a critical factor in an industry plagued by exchange failures.

Alexander Leishman: The Technical Visionary

Education & Expertise

• Degrees: Aerospace Engineering (Undergraduate), Computer Science (Master’s, Stanford)

• Experience:

  • Cryptography researcher at Stanford
  • Software security engineer at Airbnb
  • Robotics engineering intern

His technical prowess underpins River’s secure infrastructure, ensuring robust protection for client assets.

Risk Management Philosophy

"Our top priority is don’t fuck up—50% of our resources go into containing risks through automation and system improvements."

Leishman’s humility and focus on preemptive risk management reflect lessons from an industry where trust is scarce.

Why Bitcoin?

Leishman’s journey into Bitcoin began with Austrian economics:

• Inspired by Hayek’s The Denationalization of Money, he sought decentralized alternatives to fiat.
• Bitcoin’s emergence fulfilled his vision of "commodity-backed money" without centralized control.

"Bitcoin changes everything—I knew I had to work on it."

Building River: A Bitcoin-First Approach

Key Differentiators

1. Self-Built Custody: Unlike competitors reliant on multi-coin third parties, River controls its infrastructure.
2. Lightning Network Integration: Offers custodial Lightning wallets for faster, cheaper transactions.

Revenue Model

• Primary: Bitcoin brokerage (90% of revenue).
• Secondary: Lightning node operations (minimal revenue).

Future Focus:

• Seamless fiat-Bitcoin interoperability as adoption grows.

FAQs

1. How does River ensure security?

River designs its own multisig custody systems, prioritizing Bitcoin-specific security over generic third-party solutions.

2. What makes River unique among Bitcoin brokerages?

👉 Discover River’s self-custody advantage

3. Why did Leishman choose Bitcoin over other cryptocurrencies?

Leishman views Bitcoin as the only truly decentralized digital asset, with unmatched security and monetary policy.

4. How does River plan to expand its services?

Focusing on fiat-Bitcoin bridges and Lightning Network adoption to enhance usability.

👉 Explore River’s Bitcoin brokerage for secure, user-centric trading.

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