Payward Ltd., which runs the Kraken digital currency exchange, is the latest virtual-currency provider to partner with Fidor Bank in Germany.

Ripple Labs, formerly OpenCoin Inc., is working with two new gateways, ZipZap Inc. and SnapSwap, to allow U.S. consumers to fund accounts in-person or online.

The Lamassu Bitcoin machine, a so-called Bitcoin ATM that allows consumers to deposit cash to buy bitcoins, has its first buyer.

The price of Bitcoins listed on the Bitstamp Ltd. exchange plunged as much as 33 percent after charges were unsealed for the operator of an online marketplace for drugs and other illicit goods.

Several political candidates have begun accepting bitcoins for campaign contribution—but the future of this practice hinges on a Federal Election Commission decision coming by October 28.

New York's top banking overseer said any regulation of the nascent Bitcoin industry has to include transparency on who does the trading of the virtual currency, and if that hurts a business dominated by anonymous transactions, "so be it."

Alan Reiner, 30, thought he wouldn't find any career more interesting than missile defense simulations, but the self-described nerd left physics recently to work full-time on an ultra-secure Bitcoin wallet, Armory.

SecondMarket, which runs an online marketplace for illiquid assets such as closely held community bank shares, has created a private investment vehicle to invest in bitcoins, the decentralized virtual currency.

Before there was Bitcoin, there was Ven, a digital currency that launched six years ago as part of the Hub Culture social network.

BitPay, a Bitcoin payment services provider, has added support for Intuit's popular Quickbooks software.

The Bitcoin Foundation, a trade group, is urging the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to allow bitcoins to be used for federal political contributions.

If you stop by bar Room77 in Berlin's Kreuzberg neighborhood for a beer, you can leave the euros in your wallet and instead pay with the digital currency Bitcoin—a growing phenomenon in Germany and other countries that are changing their views on the currency.

Buttercoin wanted to be a Bitcoin exchange, but after being discouraged or outright rejected by over 76 financial institutions, it chose a different path.

Tradehill Inc., a Bitcoin exchange, has ended its relationship with Internet Archive Federal Credit Union—announced only a few days earlier—and has suspended trading, blaming regulatory issues.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, by hosting the Bitcoin Foundation in Washington D.C. this week, demonstrated its commitment to learning more about the disruptive virtual currency.

Virtual currency operators in Idaho are subject to state money transmission laws if they service Idaho residents, according to a letter from Jim Burns, investigations chief at the Idaho Department of Finance.

Bitcoin has gained legitimacy from an unexpected source — it has been added to the Oxford Dictionary Online, along with several other less cultivated words, such as "twerk" and "selfie."

Bitcoin companies have had a tough time getting banks to agree to give them accounts — but a New Jersey credit union has agreed to work with Tradehill, a bitcoin exchange. Is this a ray of hope for bitcoin businesses, or will most be doomed to live in exile from the mainstream financial services industry?

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will continue discussions with the Bitcoin community after meeting with the Bitcoin Foundation and a host of regulators and law enforcement officers in Washington D.C. today.

A Bitcoin trade group will meet today with the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and an array of law-enforcement officials and regulators to discuss oversight of the digital currency.