In short
- Senate Bill 163 was signed into law by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Tuesday.
- The bill effectively bans the use of CBDCs in the state and protects authorities from participating in CBDC testing.
- It also allows the use and self-management of crypto assets in the state, including providing protection for Bitcoin miners.
Private individuals, companies and Bitcoin Miners in South Carolina have received protections for the use, custody and mining of digital assets thanks to a new bill signed by the state’s governor, Henry McMaster.
First introduced in January 2025, Bill 163also effectively bans state use of central bank digital currency (CBDC), also known as a “digital dollar,” and state participation in CBDC testing.
“An individual or business shall not be prohibited, restricted, or otherwise prevented from accepting digital assets to purchase lawful goods or services; or from using a self-hosted wallet or hardware wallet to maintain self-management of digital assets,” the bill reads.
It also notes that no restrictions can be imposed on companies mining digital assets in areas designed for industrial use, as long as they comply with general noise pollution limits and do not put “additional pressure on the electricity grid.”
The final part of the bill specifies that a money transmitter license will not be required for miners, node operators, or those developing blockchain software.
The bill was adopted by the Senate in April 2025 and then referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Labor, Trade and Industry in May – which returned with a favorable report almost a year later in April. A house in early May vote recorded 110 “yes” and 1 “no.”
The piece of crypto-friendly legislation isn’t the only thing hitting the state’s General Assembly. Last year, a representative from South Carolina introduced the Strategic Digital Assets Reserve Act, also identified as House Bill 4256.
That bill proposed that the state treasurer could spend up to 10% of selected public funds on Bitcoin. general meeting found “Inflation has eroded the purchasing power of assets in sovereign wealth funds managed by the state treasurer, as well as state pension funds.”
The bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means in March 2025, but… has not been further updated.
A representative for South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster did not immediately respond Declutter request for comment.
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