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Ohio’s Secretary of State began accepting cryptocurrency on Sept. 17 for business filings, trademark registrations and minister’s licenses, making it the first state office in Ohio to take crypto payments. The payments are converted to U.S. dollars as soon as they are submitted, so the state does not hold the assets.
The office also introduced Apple Pay and Google Pay as part of a broader payment modernization project designed to give customers more ways to complete transactions.
“Ohioans expect government services to keep pace with the technology they use every day,” — Frank LaRose, Ohio Secretary of State.
The move makes Ohio one of the states actively incorporating crypto payments into routine government transactions, while also extending a policy push that LaRose and other state officials began publicly pursuing in 2025.
Ohio’s move toward crypto payments did not happen overnight.
In April 2025, LaRose and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague called on the State Board of Deposit to authorize cryptocurrency as a payment method for state fees and services. The board approved the proposal in May 2025 and later selected a vendor to facilitate cryptocurrency transactions.
LaRose’s office subsequently worked with the treasurer’s office to develop the infrastructure needed to accept digital assets.
The Secretary of State’s latest announcement describes the system as part of a wider modernization effort covering hundreds of thousands of financial transactions processed by the office each year. Customers can now choose between conventional payment methods and newer digital options, including crypto payments.
Treasurer Sprague said the initiative is intended to modernize existing government processes while allowing Ohio to adopt emerging financial technology.
“Innovation has always been at the forefront of my office’s mission,” — Robert Sprague, Ohio Treasurer.
The implementation also fulfills LaRose’s earlier commitment to make cryptocurrency available for payments to his office.
The expansion comes as cryptocurrency remains known for significant price fluctuations, creating questions about how digital assets can function as a payment method for government obligations.
The original report cited Michael McGovern, president of progressive organization Innovation Ohio, who questioned whether crypto’s volatility makes it appropriate for government payments.
“You never really know with the volatility of what those prices are,” — Michael McGovern, president of Innovation Ohio.
McGovern argued that fluctuations could make payments difficult to calculate and said the approach created risks for state finances.
LaRose’s office has countered that the cryptocurrency is converted into U.S. dollars immediately after a transaction is submitted, limiting the state’s direct exposure to cryptocurrency price movements.
The arrangement means the crypto payments option does not require Ohio to hold the digital assets as a long-term treasury position. Instead, the payment process converts the cryptocurrency into dollars after submission.
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That distinction is central to the state’s approach: customers gain another way to pay while the government continues to receive U.S. currency.
For now, LaRose’s office is the only Ohio state agency actively accepting cryptocurrency, although the Ohio Department of Natural Resources could potentially adopt a similar system.
The broader ambition among some Republican state leaders is to extend crypto payments beyond Secretary of State services and eventually allow Ohioans to use digital assets for a wider range of government obligations, including taxes.
That prospect has drawn both support and skepticism.
In 2025, House Speaker Matt Huffman expressed reservations about expanding cryptocurrency use, saying lawmakers needed to examine the risks carefully.
“I think these kinds of risky things, we need to hav
e a long, hard look at… I’m still scratching my head over cryptocurrency,” — Matt Huffman, Ohio House speaker.
The debate comes as Ohio officials continue to position the state as a destination for emerging technology and digital-asset businesses.
LaRose has been among the officials advocating greater adoption of cryptocurrency, while Treasurer Sprague has worked with his office on the infrastructure behind the new payment system.
The Ohio Blockchain Council also welcomed the launch. Andrew Burchwell, its founder and executive director, completed the first cryptocurrency transaction with the Secretary of State’s office when the new option became available.
“Making digital assets (i.e., Bitcoin and stablecoins) available to use as a payment option is an important step toward establishing Ohio as a national leader in digital innovation,” — Andrew Burchwell, founder and executive director of the Ohio Blockchain Council.
The state’s new system therefore places crypto payments alongside established digital and traditional payment methods rather than replacing them.
Whether the program expands to other agencies and eventually to taxes will depend on further decisions by Ohio officials.
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