New York-based bitcoin trading platform Atlas ATS is partnering with a small US stock exchange to expedite a regulatory approval process that has stymied the development of digital-currency exchanges in the US.

Under an agreement to be announced Wednesday, the National Stock Exchange, which is owned by the CBOE Holdings, and is recognized by the Securities and Exchange Commission as a self-regulatory organisation, or SRO, will write and enforce the rules governing how Atlas's exchange functions.