The United States arm of major crypto exchange Binance is making its services available to North Carolina residents.
Binance.US opened registration to U.S. users in September 2019 but excluded the residents of 13 states due to local laws. It has since added four states, including North Carolina.
In a statement Thursday to Cointelegraph, Binance.US CEO Catherine Coley said that the digital asset marketplace was now available for North Carolina’s 10.5 million residents, allowing them to buy, trade and earn crypto. The state is home to Research Triangle Park, an area well known for high-tech research and development firms including Cisco Systems as well as nearby blockchain consulting company Chainyard.
“[North Carolina] is a state that has been involved in building the banking industry and evolving technology,” stated Coley.
“Research Triangle Park and the robust school systems in the state have it positioned to meaningfully impact the blockchain industry. [...] The state can begin to build more companies that have easy access now to cryptocurrencies.”
The addition of North Carolina makes it the 41st state in which residents can use Binance.US since the marketplace opened account registrations in the country. Its services are also available in some U.S. territories like Puerto Rico.
However, Binance.US is still not available for residents of Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, New York, Texas, Vermont and Washington.
The announcement comes in the wake of news that proposed regulations may make it easier for crypto firms like Binance.US to operate in all 50 U.S. states without obtaining individual licenses. In September, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors stated it had set out guidelines for payments firms already doing business in 40 or more states to enable them to get a single license to operate throughout the country.