Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, has submitted a proposal to enable businesses to pay state fees using digital currencies. Details of the proposal were contained in the governor’s proposed budget for 2022.
DeSantis Is Pro-Crypto
Speaking during a recent event at Tallahassee on Thursday, the governor showed optimism about digital assets and blockchain technology. DeSantis’ pro-blockchain tech speech follows mayor Francis Suarez’s display of optimism for the digital asset industry since the beginning of the year. One of DeSantis’ proposals was to trial blockchain technology in paying for Medicaid services.
The extent of DeSantis’ speech indicates that he is serious about making Florida a pro-crypto state saying, “our stance as a government is to welcome this new technology and ensure our state is accommodating to crypto players.” Through his actions and speeches, mayor Suarez has never shied away from being a crypto supporter.
Florida state lawmakers continue to discuss the implementation of crypto-friendly policies, indicating their support for blockchain technology and digital currencies. A notable aspect of their pro-crypto policy is the support for salaries to be paid in digital currencies, a move that drew wide applause from the crypto community. The Florida Mayor was quick to assert that he won’t mind receiving his salary in BTC, which shows his high level of enthusiasm about cryptocurrencies.
Florida And Friendly Crypto Environment
Florida is one of the few crypto-friendly states in the US and made headlines following its introduction of MiamiCoin (the first state-owned cryptocurrency in any American state). Within seven days of launch, MiamiCoin generated $300K in profits for the state, with the governor stating that the proceeds would be used to improve the city’s economy.
The state also disbursed $21m worth of locally minted crypto to residents as a sign of support for the fast-growing crypto sector. Furthermore, mayor Suarez has held several meetings with crypto miners to move their operations to the state. He has also made progress on how energy companies can supply these miners with enough energy for their operations.
Miami remains the number one US state that is friendly to cryptocurrency firms, with other states looking to emulate them. While the federal government keeps developing a suitable crypto framework, many states are developing crypto policies as it suits their state’s economic objective.
Novi Tests Crypto Payments On Whatsapp For Selected Users
Facebook (now known as Meta) is in advanced efforts in enabling payments with crypto on one of its social platforms (WhatsApp). The company’s CEO, Stephane Kasriel, announced on Thursday. However, Kasriel disclosed that the payment feature is still in the trial phase and would only benefit selected users in the US because the wallet used for this testing (the Novi wallet) is also in the trial phase.
The Meta CEO further remarked that the company wouldn’t sacrifice any of the social app’s current features to implement the crypto payment feature. Before launching this crypto payment service, meta launched a trial version of the Novi wallet two months ago in the US and Guatemala and tested financial transactions between these two countries.
