New York's financial regulator today said that the state will propose regulations for oversight of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin this year.

Does Bitcoin require its own set of regulations, or can businesses that trade in the virtual currency and payment system be policed effectively under existing rules?

Authorities arrested the former CEO of a defunct Bitcoin exchange company on charges of conspiring to launder more than $1 million for users of the online drug market Silk Road.

A diverse group of entrepreneurs is trying to solve a riddle that may hold the key to Bitcoin and other digital currency moving into the mainstream: how to insure accounts.

Coinmkt, a digital currency exchange based in Los Angeles, has opened an account with E-Trade to allow users to deposit U.S. dollars into the exchange as wire transfers from U.S. bank accounts.

As with any new technology, mobile wallets must earn the trust of the consumers and merchants who would use them. Many mobile payment apps may attempt to beef up security with password and PIN protection, but a few have had their security scrutinized very publicly.

EBay Inc. has written a new policy on virtual currency sales, set to go into effect for U.K. customers in early February.

Digital currency startup Circle Internet Financial has expanded its high-profile lineup of leaders, appointing a Goldman Sachs director to its board of directors and naming veterans from American Express and Google to its advisory board.

Bitcoin is gaining legitimacy as an alternative to cash and card payments, but for all its popularity, the digital currency has many limitations. Here are a few.

SmartMetric Inc. is launching a Bitcoin card protected with biometric fingerprint authentication. The card can be used as offline storage for bitcoins, but in the future it might also be used for payment.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., China's largest e-commerce website, will ban the sale of Bitcoin and other virtual currencies after the country's central bank tightened regulations in December.

A pair of companies has launched services on Twitter that allow users to transact in Bitcoin across the microblogging site. And while Twitter has been selective of what companies facilitate payments in the past, the social networking giant hasn't yet touched these Bitcoin services.

The new year got off to a mixed start for virtual currency, with regulators in Asia clamping down on Bitcoin and gaming company Zynga embracing the emerging payments option.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission is barring Bitcoin ATMs because the country's regulatory body views Bitcoin as a false currency that should not be used by people or banks for payments.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and other companies have seen more than $200 million in sales in 2013 for computing components used to create Bitcoins, Wedbush Securities Inc. said.

While most gift cards are still made of plastic, digital cards are increasing in popularity among consumers because of the many options to customize the cards.

Under Fincen's March 2013 guidance, companies that transmit virtual currency must register as money services businesses. De Castro was unsure whether his investment company would be treated the same way. According to the letter from Fincen, its rules are not meant to apply to De Castro's business.

As more payments companies seek the next big thing, they are finding that mobile payments tech is due for a makeover, and a lot more attention surrounds digital currency such as Bitcoin.

Lamassu has received more than 120 orders for its Bitcoin ATMs in the first four months after launch, and has set up a map of locations.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a warning on the risks of virtual currencies, and the country's largest Bitcoin trading platform has shut down.