Bitcoin exchange receives first licence in NY state

New York

NEW York state's top financial regulator has granted the first licence to a Bitcoin exchange, allowing it to open legally to customers across the country.

The exchange, itBit, said on Thursday that it was beginning to take on US customers immediately after receiving a banking trust charter from New York state's Department of Financial Services and its superintendent, Benjamin Lawsky, who has been trying for some time to bring new rules to the fledgling virtual currency industry.