Texas Nears Historic Bitcoin Reserve Vote—Could Become World’s 8th Largest Economy to Hold BTC

Lone Star lawmakers are sprinting toward a final decision that could rewrite monetary history—and Wall Street’s playbook.

Why it matters: If passed, Texas would vault past traditional finance gatekeepers, anchoring its reserves in decentralized hard money. No more begging the Fed for printer go-brrr favors.

The twist: While bankers clutch pearls over ’volatility,’ the move exposes how stale reserve strategies have become. Gold? Yawn. T-bills? Enjoy your 2% yield—if you’re lucky.

Bottom line: When the world’s 8th largest economy flips the script, even skeptics pay attention. Just don’t expect Wall Street to admit they missed the boat—again.

Changes to the Texas Bitcoin reserve bill

Ahead of the vote, lawmakers introduced a significant amendment allowing other digital assets to be included in the reserve, but only if they meet strict requirements.

To qualify, a digital asset must maintain a $500 billion market cap for at least two years. This is double the original 12-month requirement and raises the barrier for inclusion.

Bitcoin Laws, a Bitcoin policy-focused firm, explained:

“This means [that] an asset must sustain the minimum market cap for longer. Making it harder for to qualify.”

This update effectively narrows the field as Bitcoin stands alone in meeting the threshold. It holds a market value of more than $2 trillion, making it the only eligible digital asset under the current criteria.