Lee Bratcher, President of the Texas Blockchain Council, is making one thing clear — states like Texas and Florida aren’t waiting around for Washington when it comes to Bitcoin adoption.
“When we look to 2025, states like Texas and Florida are both pursuing strategic Bitcoin reserves,” Bratcher said in a discussion with Rob Nelson on Roundtable. “We’re hoping to beat the federal government to the punch there in the name of friendly competition. Of course, we want the federal government to do it as well.”
Texas and Florida have already passed laws recognizing digital assets under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), giving cryptocurrencies a clearer legal standing. Texas has also moved forward with stablecoin regulation, recognizing their role in the crypto economy.
Samuel Armes, Founder of the Florida Blockchain Business Association, echoed Bratcher’s optimism, noting that even under the previous administration’s crypto-hostile policies, state-level progress continued.
“We’re certainly not going to be screwed,” Armes said, responding to concerns about slow federal action. “Even under the Biden administration, when things weren’t exceptional or all that fabulous so to speak, you already saw all the progress that states were making, especially in Florida, Texas, Wyoming, even places like Washington and Pennsylvania.”
According to Armes, that momentum will only accelerate under the new administration. “We now have a very friendly administration coming in. We have a lot of bad actors who are anti-crypto, anti-Bitcoin stepping out or stepping down. So all the momentum that the states have created is now going to be pushed toward D.C.”
Texas has positioned itself as a major hub for Bitcoin mining and blockchain businesses.
According to Bratcher, the state has already taken key regulatory steps, such as recognizing Bitcoin and Ethereum as assets that do not trigger money transmission statutes. However, stablecoins, which play a central role in digital finance, are still regulated under state banking laws.
“The federal government handles things anywhere from IRS to securities law that the states just typically don’t handle,” Bratcher explained. “But there are several things, from an infrastructure perspective, that we can ensure that the foundation is laid for the United States to become the jurisdiction of choice for global digital asset adoption.”
