With just weeks to go before he steps down, Benjamin M. Lawsky, New York’s top financial regulator, on Wednesday released rules for running a Bitcoin business in the state.

In a speech at the BITS Emerging Payments Forum in Washington, Mr. Lawsky announced the final set of rules that govern virtual-currency businesses, concluding a nearly two-year effort to regulate the growing Bitcoin industry.

Mr. Lawsky said that the final form of the so-called BitLicense would put in place crucial guidelines for protecting consumers and preventing money laundering.

“We are excited about the potential digital currency holds for helping drive long-overdue changes in our ossified payments system,” he said. “We simply want to make sure that we put in place guardrails that protect consumers and root out illicit activity, without stifling beneficial innovation.”