Bill > SB759

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 or local government restrictions. Specifically, it prevents state agencies or political subdivisions 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 on a blockchain. The bill also clarifies that providing "staking as a service," which involves committing digital assets to a blockchain to help operate it, is not considered the sale of an investment contract or security under the Maryland Securities Act, and therefore is exempt from certain filing and registration requirements. Importantly, this bill 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.