On May 7, Governor Katie Hobbs signed a new law allowing the state to claim unclaimed crypto officially. Unclaimed crypto includes digital assets that owners have not used for at least three years.
House Bill 2749 law makes Arizona one of the first U.S states to take formal control of unclaimed crypto. It allows the state to claim these digital assets and turn them into something valuable without using taxpayer money.
No Taxpayer Money Involved
If the owner of a digital asset doesn’t respond to contact attempts for three years, the state can take ownership. Arizona can stake the crypto to earn rewards or collect airdrops from there. The government will deposit those earnings into a newly created Bitcoin and Digital Asset Reserve Fund.
Source: X
The bill’s sponsor, Jeff Weninger, said this move prevents the state from leaving value “sitting on the table.” More importantly, he added, “We’ve built a structure that protects property rights, respects ownership, and gives the state tools to account for a new category of value in the economy.”
A Sign of More Crypto Laws to Come
Interestingly, just days before, Governor Hobbs vetoed a different Bitcoin bill—Senate Bill 1025, which would have allowed Arizona to invest seized funds in Bitcoin. She expressed concerns over using public funds for “untested assets.”
Still, the passage of House Bill 2749 shows Hobbs is open to crypto laws that don’t involve taxpayer risk. Crypto users also hope she will sign Senate Bill 1373, allowing the state to invest up to 10% of Arizona’s rainy-day fund in Bitcoin. That bill now sits on her desk.
HB 2749 has been signed into law, technically creating AZ’s first crypto reserve.
It doesn’t allow investment, but moves unclaimed assets, airdrops, and staking rewards into a reserve.
IMPORTANT: Shows Gov. Hobbs is willing to enact pro-crypto legislation pic.twitter.com/BeTRdD8GlD
— Bitcoin Laws (@Bitcoin_Laws) May 8, 2025
Conclusion
Arizona’s decision to take charge of unclaimed crypto shows that digital assets are becoming mainstream state policy. By protecting property rights and avoiding the use of public funds, Arizona is setting an example for how other states might handle abandoned digital wealth in the future.
Disclaimer
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