Bill > HB859

This bill, the Maryland Financial Innovation Act of 2026, aims to regulate digital assets and digital asset staking by clarifying existing laws and prohibiting certain state-level restrictions. Specifically, it prevents any state agency or political subdivision from prohibiting or restricting individuals from accepting digital assets as payment, holding them in self-hosted or hardware wallets, operating nodes to participate in a blockchain, developing blockchain software, transferring digital assets, or engaging in staking. Staking, defined as committing a digital asset to a blockchain to participate in its operations, when offered as a service, is explicitly excluded from being considered an investment contract or security under the Maryland Securities Act, meaning it won't be subject to certain filing and registration requirements. The bill also clarifies that this provision regarding staking as a service is a clarification of existing law and does not affect the authority of the Commissioner to regulate digital assets under the Maryland Money Transmission Act or the Division of Consumer Protection's ability to enforce the Maryland Consumer Protection Act.

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https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0859?ys=2026RS