Wyoming Cements Position as Leading U.S. Jurisdiction for Blockchain with Sweeping New Legislation

In its most recent legislative sessions, Wyoming has undertaken substantial efforts to build on the momentum created by its 2018 enactment of legislation friendly to the blockchain and digital assets industries. In the months that followed that enactment, industry participants and legislators alike ascertained that further reforms and legislation were needed to cement Wyoming’s position as the leading jurisdiction in the sector. Through the public comment and legislative meeting protocols unique to Wyoming, eight blockchain-related bills made it to the floor of the legislature for a vote, all of which were passed and are now poised to become law.

Wyoming’s latest wave of blockchain legislation is, in sum, intended to facilitate the creation of blockchain ventures within the state and to further cement Wyoming’s status as the leading corporate jurisdiction in the United States for blockchain-related ventures.

HB 74- Special purpose depository institutions
In what is perhaps the most groundbreaking legislation among the bills passed, the Wyoming legislature recognized that blockchain businesses in general have difficulty opening and maintaining traditional banking relationships due to FDIC and OCC inclusion of blockchain ventures in the same buckets as firearms and cannabis. Wyoming now will permit corporate entities to charter “special purpose depository institutions,” which will perform all traditional bank functions except for lending. With the lending exclusion, these institutions will be under the primary supervision of the Wyoming Banking Commission and not the federal government. These banks will be required to maintain at least 100 percent of reserves against deposits as well as (a) $5 million of capital, (b) three years of operating expenses and (c) private insurance against theft, cybercrime and other wrongful acts.

SF 125- Digital assets (UCC & Custody)
Custody of digital assets has been a global challenge for investors and industry participants. Wyoming has addressed this concern by specifically authorizing banks (including special purpose ones under HB 74) to hold digital assets in custody under their charter trust powers and in accordance with Rule 206-4(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In addition, Wyoming amended its provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code to facilitate the custody of these assets along with the means by which security interests may be perfected. Wyoming is now the only U.S. state with comprehensive UCC provisions to address digital assets, which makes it a favorable jurisdiction for those lending or securing funds through digital assets.

HB 57- Financial technology sandbox (includes reciprocity for overseas regulators)
Those entrepreneurs in the blockchain industry who may require special treatment or waivers of unclear regulation in Wyoming may now seek to avail themselves of a “regulatory sandbox” much akin to the one enacted in Arizona last year. Use of the “sandbox” will require applications to state agencies that may have interests in the requested waiver, including the Wyoming Banking Commission and the Wyoming Securities Commission. The “sandbox” will provide a two-year period of relief from legislation for those ventures, all of which must be domiciled and operating within Wyoming.

HB 62- Utility token amendments
Wyoming broke ground in 2018 with its widely reported utility token “exemption” for digital assets having a pure utility function and were not created for investment purposes or for trading on exchanges. Amendments to this legislation were made to further clarify the definition of “utility token” and define when parties may properly seek a token utility designation from Wyoming authorities.

HB 70- Commercial filing system
Wyoming has legislatively determined that records maintained by the Wyoming Secretary of State, including corporate formation records, are to be implemented on blockchain media. In combination with the Series LLC legislation enacted in Wyoming last year, this provision will provide the basis for the swift formation of corporate entities and other related corporate records through blockchain.

HB 185- Tokenized corporate stock
In recognition of the migration of the blockchain industry from “initial coin offerings” to “security tokens,” Wyoming enacted legislation authorizing and permitting the creation of digital assets that represent certificated shares of stock. A “certificate token" under this legislation has been defined as “a representation of shares” that is (a) entered into a blockchain or other secure, auditable database, (b) linked to or associated with the certificate token and (c) electronically transmittable to the issuing corporation, the person to whom the certificate token was issued and any transferee.

HB 113- Special electric utility agreements
Given that Wyoming utilities produce some of the cheapest and most abundant electricity in the United States, Wyoming has through HB 113 enabled those utilities to negotiate power rates with blockchain companies (including miners) and others without approval from Wyoming’s Public Utility Commission.

SF 28- Electronic bank records
This legislation enables banking institutions to issue securities and maintain corporate records on blockchain to an extent not permitted by other provisions of Wyoming law. In particular, this provision allows for the creation of non-voting shares of Wyoming banking institutions in tokenized form.

Summary
In short, Wyoming has further honed its regulatory ecosystem to become the most blockchain-friendly jurisdiction in the United States. While all legislation will be effective as of July 1, 2019, it should be noted that many blockchain industry participants are already undertaking significant efforts to take advantage of the opportunities this legislation presents. Blockchain companies in United States and abroad should carefully examine Wyoming’s new blockchain legislation with counsel to ascertain suitable business opportunities.