Bitcoin Scouts
ENES
Para operadores

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

New Mexico requires a money transmitter license for exchanging virtual currency. There's no state kiosk law, but Albuquerque has banned crypto ATMs.

No kiosk-specific law · Last checked

Esta guía todavía está solo en inglés.

Not legal advice. This is a research summary as of 2026-10-28, written for operators deciding where to look harder. Laws change, regulators read them differently, and a bill can move in a week. Confirm anything you act on with the regulator and a lawyer licensed in the state. If you spot an error, write to support@bitcoinscouts.com and we'll fix it.

Licensing in New Mexico

New Mexico requires a money transmitter license under the Uniform Money Services Act (NMSA 1978, 58-32-101 et seq., enacted 2016). The Financial Institutions Division states in its FAQ that any business exchanging virtual currency for money, monetary value or stored value for people in New Mexico must hold a money transmitter license. Bond: the greater of $300,000 or 1% of yearly NM transmission volume, capped at $2,000,000. Net worth: $100,000 for 1-4 locations, $500,000 for 5 or more.

Regulator: NM Regulation and Licensing Department, Financial Institutions Division (FID) · License: Money transmitter license

Sources: FID FAQs (virtual currency requires MTL; bond) · FID Money Services Businesses page · NMSA 58-32-201 License required (Justia) (secondary) · NMSA 58-32-206 Net worth (Justia, 2018) (secondary) · FID Abra settlement release (refers consumers to NMLS Consumer Access)

Kiosk-specific rules

New Mexico has no law written specifically for crypto ATMs as of 2026-10-28. The general money transmission rules above and the federal rules still apply.

Bills and changes to watch

  • No statewide NM kiosk bill from the 2025 or 2026 sessions was found.

Local rules

  • Albuquerque: O-26-49, the 'Virtual Currency Ordinance' (Telles, Fiebelkorn), bans virtual currency ATMs and cashier-assisted virtual currency transactions citywide. Introduced 2026-06-15 and listed for final action at the 2026-09-09 council meeting. Secondary reports (September 2026) say it passed, gives operators 45 days to remove machines, and fines $500 per day.

Practical hurdles

  • Albuquerque, the state's largest city, has adopted a kiosk ban per news reports. New placements there are off the table, and existing machines face removal and daily fines.
  • A statewide MTL with a bond of at least $300,000 and $500,000 net worth for operators with 5 or more NM locations (kiosk locations likely count as locations; not confirmed).

Sources: Albuquerque Council letter of introduction, 2026-06-15 (O-26-49) · Albuquerque Council agenda, 2026-09-09 (final action, O-26-49)

What we couldn't confirm

  • Albuquerque O-26-49 final vote, mayor's signature, publication date and exact effective date. The council press release and news articles could not be opened because the web-fetch budget ran out. The 45-day removal window and $500/day fine come only from search-result headlines (decrypt.co, news.bitcoin.com), which we didn't open.
  • Whether a kiosk counts as a 'location' for the NM net worth tiers.
  • No NM AG actions against kiosk operators were found.

Run machines in New Mexico? Put them on Bitcoin Scouts

Bitcoin Scouts is the crypto ATM map that shows which machines are working right now. It's built by the team behind QuickieCoin, a bitcoin ATM operator in New Jersey, so we wrote this guide the way we wish someone had written it for us.

  • Claim your listings, free. Verify your company, fix addresses and hours, add photos, and send live status so customers stop driving to dead machines. Claiming and editing are always free. Claim your machines
  • Compliance calendar, included. Tell us your states and get FinCEN, NMLS and state kiosk deadlines in one list, with a calendar feed for Google or Outlook and email reminders, each item linked to the rule it came from. Open the calendar
  • Pro, $4 per machine a month. Live fees by API, 13 months of analytics, replies to reviews, and uptime watch with fast down alerts. New operators get Pro free for 90 days when their claim is approved.
  • Promoted machines, $15 per machine a month. A clearly labelled spot in nearby searches for machines that are online and post their fee. Promote a machine
  • Featured operator, $49 a month. Your brand on your own listings and pins, a rich company page, an offer line, and no competitor ads on your listings. It never changes search rank. Become featured

Get started free

See every bitcoin ATM in New Mexico · All states