Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed two pieces of legislation on digital assets this week, creating the state’s Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Task Force and leading a state agency study of blockchain-based real estate records.
The bills are the product of a coalition led by the Maryland Blockchain Association in partnership with the Maryland Tech Council and the Blockchain Legal Institute.
HB 470, sponsored by Sen. Ron Watson and Del. Adrian Boafo, D-Prince George’s, is creating a public-private working group to study blockchain and cryptocurrency use cases, assess risks and benefits, and evaluate regulatory frameworks in peer states. The task force must report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the General Assembly by October 2027.
SB 168, sponsored by Sen. Ron Watson, D-Prince George’s, directs the state Department of Assessment and Taxation to evaluate the use of blockchain technology for recording and verifying property titles and real estate leases, and to evaluate its application in court and law enforcement cases involving unauthorized occupiers. The ministry is due to report its findings by the end of this year. The Senate passed the bill unanimously; the House passed it 119-14.
“Maryland’s two new digital asset laws give the state real tools to lead responsibly,” said Matthew Rogers, co-founder of the Maryland Blockchain Association and CTO of the Blockchain Legal Institute. “Marylanders now have clearer rules, and the state has the infrastructure to keep that clarity up to date as technology evolves.”
The association thanked Boafo, Watson and Sen. Chris West, D-Baltimore County, for their bipartisan leadership on the legislation.
With the laws set to take effect this summer, the association will host the Maryland BlockchAIn Bootcamp and Workforce Expo July 13-17 at Capitol Technology University in Laurel, where consumers, students, employers and state officials will receive technical briefings on the new laws and explore workforce pipelines to careers in digital assets and artificial intelligence.
About the Maryland Blockchain Association
The Maryland Blockchain Association (MDBA) is a statewide nonprofit trade association that advances blockchain innovation in Maryland through advocacy, education and community building. Learn more about Marylandblockchainassociation.
Register to attend the BlockChAIn Boot Camp by visiting:
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