Indiana retirement plans must offer cryptocurrency investment options

Retirement plan boards and committees must offer brokerage accounts with a cryptocurrency investment option. This applies to the state employee and public retirement plans named in the law, including defined contribution funds, annuity savings accounts, and other specified plans. Plan administrators may set investment guidelines and limits, rules for participant choices and account values, and how administrative expenses are paid. Each board or committee must set the fees charged to participants. The accounts must be offered by July 1, 2027.

State agencies generally may not restrict specified digital asset activities or impose special taxes or fees on them. The rules cover using digital assets to pay for legal goods and services, keeping them in personal wallets, running blockchain nodes, developing blockchain software, transferring assets, staking, and large mining businesses. The Department of Financial Institutions is excepted from the limits on state agency rules. Taxes and fees on using or holding digital assets are barred only when they do not also apply to comparable transactions that do not involve digital assets. A local government may still apply zoning rules to a large digital asset mining business. These rules take effect July 1, 2026.

Local governments may not block specified blockchain activities or single out digital asset mining with stricter rules. The rules cover using digital assets for legal purchases, keeping them in personal wallets, running blockchain nodes, developing software, transferring assets, staking, mining businesses in industrial areas, and an individual's private mining at home in a residential area. A mining business must meet the requirements for its industrial area. Noise limits may apply if they also apply to other businesses in that area or other homes in the residential area. These rules take effect July 1, 2026.

Courts may require someone to disclose a digital asset access code only when no other admissible information can provide access. A digital asset private key is a code used to prove ownership of and access digital assets. The rule applies in both civil and criminal court proceedings. These rules take effect July 1, 2026.