New Hampshire has made history by becoming the first U.S. state to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, following the signing of House Bill 302 into law by Governor Kelly Ayotte.

The legislation allows the state treasury to allocate up to 5% of public funds into digital assets and precious metals, specifically those with market capitalizations exceeding $500 billion. The bill, developed in collaboration with the pro-Bitcoin nonprofit Satoshi Action Fund, designates Bitcoin as the core digital asset for the state’s reserve. In a public announcement, Governor Ayotte declared, “New Hampshire is once again First in the Nation!”

This move sets New Hampshire apart from recent federal and state-level crypto strategies. While President Trump signed an executive order earlier in 2025 to create a federal Bitcoin reserve using coins seized in criminal investigations, New Hampshire’s legislation allows proactive public investment into the asset. In contrast, Arizona’s Governor Katie Hobbs recently vetoed a similar initiative, citing concerns about the volatility of virtual currencies and the risk they could pose to retirement systems. Florida, along with several other states including Oklahoma, North Dakota, and Pennsylvania, also backed away from similar legislative proposals.

Despite the mixed responses nationwide, the federal government continues to assert that these strategies will not burden taxpayers. David Sacks, appointed as the administration’s crypto and AI advisor, estimates that the U.S. government already controls around 200,000 bitcoins—worth over $17 billion—though a full audit is pending. As debates continue across the country, New Hampshire's bold step could set a precedent for other states looking to blend financial innovation with public policy.