Crypto ATM laws in Alaska: a guide for operators (2026)

Licensing in Alaska

Money transmission license from the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (Division of Banking and Securities) under AS 06.55. SB 86 (Ch. 48 SLA 26) became law without the governor's signature (the governor's message is dated 2026-06-30). It replaces Alaska's money transmission statute with a modernized one that adds virtual-currency language and NMLS registration, and it requires a license before engaging in virtual currency business activity. The kiosk law (SB 249) separately requires kiosk operators to hold a money transmission license.

Regulator: Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development (Division of Banking and Securities) · License: Money transmitter license

Sources: Enrolled SB 86, purpose section (replaces money transmission law, adds virtual currency model language) · Senate Journal p. 3175: SB 86 became law without signature, Ch. 48 SLA 2026 · Orrick InfoBytes 2026-07-24 on SB 86 and SB 249 (secondary)

Alaska's kiosk law

SB 249 (2026), AS 06.55 · effective 2026-10-01

• Kiosk operators must hold a money transmission license, register with the department and get its approval before placing a kiosk in Alaska.
• Operators must file a quarterly report on each kiosk location and an annual report covering gross revenue, refund requests and suspicious transaction reports.
• A user may put in no more than $1,000 in a calendar day and $10,000 in any 30-day period (as enacted, per Orrick). The limits apply across all of the operator's products, including online and OTC.
• Fees are capped at 10% of the transaction value (as enacted, per Orrick).
• Operators must show fraud warnings, give disclosures in both English and Spanish, and keep a dedicated communication line for law enforcement.
• Operators must keep written anti-fraud policies and policies consistent with BSA/AML rules.
• A violation is an unfair or deceptive trade practice under AS 45.50.471 (per the bill title and committee draft).

Sources: SB 249 bill history and versions (enrolled 2026-05-20) · Weekly bill status 2026-08-20: SB 249 = Chapter 50 SLA 26 · CSSB 249(L&C) committee draft (earlier version; numbers changed later) · Orrick InfoBytes 2026-07-24 (enacted caps $1,000/$10,000, 10% fee cap, effective Oct 1) (secondary)

Bills and changes to watch

• HB 324 (2026), the House companion on virtual currency kiosks, was heard in committee. It was superseded by SB 249, which was enacted.

Practical hurdles

• The department must approve each kiosk before it is placed, and every location must be reported each quarter.
• The 10% fee cap is well below the 18% common in other states (as enacted, per Orrick).
• Disclosures must be bilingual (English and Spanish).

What we couldn't confirm

• We couldn't open the enrolled text of SB 249 (SB0249Z; the akleg.gov text pages returned errors). The enacted caps ($1,000/$10,000), the 10% fee cap and the 2026-10-01 effective date come from Orrick (secondary). The L&C committee draft we did open had $500/$5,000 and a 2% fee cap, so the numbers changed before passage.
• Final refund rules. The introduced and L&C drafts gave a full refund if the user reports within 90 days and files a police report or sworn statement within 120 days, paid within 72 hours. Whether that survived into the enacted text is unconfirmed.
• Final rules on live support hours (the L&C draft: 8am-10pm Alaska time), receipts, blockchain analytics and the compliance officer are all unconfirmed for the enacted text.
• Effective date of SB 86. The CSBS August 2026 update lists Alaska SB 86 as introduced with an effective date of 2027-07-01, which looks stale since it became law in June 2026.
• No local bans or enforcement actions were found.