According to a post in the Bitcoin Forum, titled Bitcoin-Central, first exchange licensed to operate as a bank. This is HUGE.
Bitcoin-Central (bitcoin-central.net/) “is getting, through a partnership with Aqoba and the Credit Mutuel, allowed to operate as a bank, (or more precisely a PSP which is basically the same as a bank, just without the debt-money issuing part).”
The feat was achieved by Paymium, a ‘Money over IP’ Bitcoin transfer agency with connections to the French banking regulators. How? Here is the forum post which gives some more detail.
P2P Foundation
Monitoring Bitcoin: In France, The First Officially Recognized Bitcoin Bank Jon Holmquist