In brief
- New Hampshire’s governor signed the Blockchain Basics Law, introducing new protections for blockchain innovation and crypto users in the state.
- Last year, the state became the first in the nation to introduce a strategic Bitcoin reserve, allowing for up to 5% of public funds to be invested in the leading crypto asset.
- However, its executive council recently rejected the allowance of the first Bitcoin-backed municipal bond.
New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte helped make the state into one of the crypto-friendliest in the nation when she signed HB 639 into law last week.
Known as the The Blockchain Basic Laws act, the bill provides protections for cryptocurrency innovation and use in the state while also allowing for the creation of a special blockchain dispute docket in the superior court.
“With Governor Ayotte’s signature on HB 639, New Hampshire has once again demonstrated that it intends to lead the nation in blockchain innovation,” said New Hampshire Representative Keith Ammon, the bill’s primary sponsor, in a statement.
“The Blockchain Basic Laws protect one of the most fundamental rights in the digital economy—the right of individuals to control their own digital assets through self-custody,” he added. “They also provide clear legal protections for blockchain developers, miners, validators, entrepreneurs, and businesses building the next generation of financial technology.”
The state’s latest blockchain legislation follows its passing of a strategic Bitcoin reserve last year. The bill, signed by Ayotte in May 2025, allows the state’s treasurer to invest up to 5% of its public funds in the leading crypto asset, alongside precious metals like gold and silver.
Ammon, who played a key role in that bill’s passage, told Decrypt at the time it was “one little way our state could hedge against inflation in the future.”
“Today, with the signing of HB 639, we have taken another major step by enacting one of the most comprehensive blockchain rights laws in the country,” he said in a statement. “Entrepreneurs, investors, developers, and innovators across America should know that New Hampshire is open for blockchain business.”
Despite its advances, the state’s executive council last week blocked a proposal that would have allowed the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority to facilitate a Bitcoin-backed municipal bond.
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