Overview

• Introduced on Sept. 30, Assembly Bill 471 would exempt mining, staking, node operation, software development, and digital‑asset swaps that do not convert to legal tender from state money‑transmitter licensing.
• The legislation prohibits state and local entities from restricting acceptance of digital assets for lawful payments or the use of self‑hosted and hardware wallets.
• Custodial services that convert crypto to fiat would remain subject to Wisconsin licensing and federal requirements such as FinCEN compliance.
• The proposal lists nine Republican sponsors and one Democrat, and it has been referred to the Assembly’s Committee on Financial Institutions for review.
• Separate bills under review address crypto kiosks and tax incentives for qualified data centers, signaling broader state attention to digital‑asset policy.