The bucking blockchain bronco steps up.

“There’s no reason why the next Google can’t be there in Wyoming.” That statement, attributed to ConsenSys founder Joe Lubin, captures the spirit of possibility that is now in the air throughout the Equality State (Wyoming was the first state in the US to grant women the right to vote).

Specifically, a new bill recently introduced into the Wyoming House of Representatives would designate that cryptocurrencies receive the same treatment as money. In addition, the bill would also enable corporations to issue tokenized stock certificates. If a version of this bill ultimately becomes law — which is very likely — Wyoming would once again reinforce its claim as a trailblazing state.

It will be interesting to see which other states — and perhaps unlikely ones — will follow suit and experiment with crypto and blockchain. Last year, we saw Ohio become the first state to allow residents to pay their tax bills using cryptocurrency. It’s certainly a trend we’ll be keeping an eye on.   

This article was published as part of Weekly Briefing No. 158