Governor Henry McMaster signed bill S163, which comes into effect immediately. Individuals and businesses can no longer be prohibited from accepting digital assets as payment for goods and services. The bill also exempts cryptocurrencies used for payments from any additional taxes. Furthermore, there is no requirement for a money transmission license for mining, blockchain node operations, and other cryptocurrency activities. S163 prohibits authorities from restricting mining in industrial zones and from imposing noise level limits beyond general area regulations. The state has also banned government agencies from accepting Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) and participating in their trials.