The North Dakota Senate has taken a major step toward regulating cryptocurrency ATMs, introducing measures aimed at preventing fraud and ensuring better oversight. On March 18, 2025, House Bill 1447 was approved in a 45-to-1 vote, moving it closer to becoming state law.
🔹 Key Features of the Bill
✅ Licensing Requirement: Crypto ATM operators must be licensed as money transmitters.
✅ Daily Transaction Limit: A cap of $2,000 per day to prevent high-value fraud.
✅ Fraud Warnings: ATMs must display mandatory fraud alerts to warn users of potential scams.
✅ Quarterly Reports: Operators must submit detailed reports on machine locations, transaction data, and operator information.
✅ Blockchain Analytics: ATM providers must monitor transactions to flag suspicious activity and report potential fraud cases to authorities.
🏛 Why the Regulation?
The bill was proposed to address rising crypto ATM scams. According to North Dakota’s financial institutions commissioner, Lisa Kruse, residents filed 103 crypto fraud complaints with the FBI in 2023, totaling $6.5 million in losses. Legislators argue that a lack of regulation has made crypto ATMs a prime target for scammers.
House Representative Steve Swiontek, who sponsored the bill, emphasized the need for stronger oversight to protect consumers. The original bill proposed a $1,000 transaction cap, later adjusted to $2,000 for the first five transactions within 30 days before being simplified to a flat $2,000 daily limit.
🚀 Growing Trend of Crypto ATM Regulations
North Dakota is not the only state tightening regulations. Nebraska recently enacted a similar law, requiring crypto ATM operators to meet new licensing and reporting standards under the Controllable Electronic Record Fraud Prevention Act.
Crypto ATMs have grown in popularity across the U.S., with nearly 30,000 machines in operation. However, increasing fraud cases have led regulators to introduce stricter measures to protect consumers.
🔜 What’s Next?
Before becoming law, House Bill 1447 must return to the House for final approval of recent amendments. If passed, it will move to Governor Kelly Armstrong’s desk for final approval.
This bill represents a significant step in balancing crypto accessibility with consumer protection in the evolving regulatory landscape. 🚀🔍
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