New Hampshire bill proposes Bitcoin reserve for state treasury investments

5 days ago

New Hampshire State Representative Keith Ammon introduced authorities to make a strategical reserve of integer assets with an mean yearly marketplace headdress of implicit $500 cardinal and US-pegged stablecoins to the authorities treasury, according to a measure introduced connected Jan. 9. 

The measure caps investments successful these alternate assets astatine 10% of the full nationalist funds, astir $360 million, according to the treasury ending balance arsenic of June 30.

Additionally, the measure highlights that these assets indispensable beryllium held done “secure custody solutions,” which guarantee exclusive entree to cryptographic backstage keys, qualified custodians, and registered exchange-traded products (ETP).

ETPs indispensable beryllium approved by regulatory bodies specified arsenic the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oregon the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Only Bitcoin meets the requirements

According to CryptoSlate data, lone Bitcoin (BTC) meets the marketplace headdress request successful the projected authorities for cryptocurrencies. The authorities treasury tin besides adhd stablecoins similar Tether USD (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC).

The measure besides allows the authorities to put successful accepted precious metals similar gold, silver, and platinum successful summation to crypto.

The connection besides opens the doorway for New Hampshire to prosecute successful staking, adjacent though Bitcoin is the lone crypto making the chopped and is not based connected a impervious of involvement statement mechanism.

By integrating staking, New Hampshire would beryllium acceptable to adhd crypto specified arsenic Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) successful a script wherever their marketplace caps conscionable the criteria, and gain passive gross based connected their holdings.

Additionally, the measure proposes lending integer assets arsenic different option, provided the authorities retains ineligible ownership and works with third-party providers successful some cases.

Not sneaky

Satoshi Action Fund CEO and co-founder Dennis Porter welcomed the measure and stated that it added the precocious marketplace headdress request to bounds authorities concern successful Bitcoin. He explained that calling the plus by sanction successful the measure is intolerable successful immoderate US states. 

In effect to comments that this was a “sneaky way” to adhd Bitcoin to authorities treasuries, Porter explained:

“It’s not a ‘sneaky’ way. Some states volition necessitate america to make tech neutral bills which is precise communal successful policy. It’s a mode to trim governmental friction. Some bills volition beryllium Bitcoin exclusive, immoderate volition beryllium based connected marketplace cap. We enactment with lawmakers to guarantee they person assurance successful the measure passing.”

New Hampshire is the latest authorities to initiate authorities to found a Bitcoin strategical reserve. Porter said that 10 much US states are acceptable to present akin bills focused connected a Bitcoin strategical reserve successful the coming weeks and months.

Representative Mike Cabell introduced akin authorities successful Pennsylvania connected Nov. 14, 2024, and Representative Giovanni Capriglione followed with akin legislation in Texas little than 1 period later.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s State Auditor Andrew Sorrell recently proposed creating a BTC strategical reserve, and Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis advocated for the aforesaid decision.

The station New Hampshire measure proposes Bitcoin reserve for authorities treasury investments appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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