user49058: If someone was not concerned with the anonymity aspect of bitcoin, can he/she exchange traditional currencies to bitcoins and vice versa from banks? Do banks do this? and if not, why? 

user5406: This is something that has not arrived yet (to my knowledge), but will probably emerge in the future.
We're getting close, e.g. the German Fidor Bank has a partnership with Bitcoin.de that let's you quickly transfer money to said market place, as well as having a partnership with Ripple; Ripple has signed up a large number of banks as customers, if current news reports are accurate; finally, multiple banks and the NYSE are investors in Coinbase.
There are numerous other such relationships of which almost certainly one will eventually come to fruition in this regard.

49058: <p>If someone was not concerned with the anonymity aspect of bitcoin, can he/she exchange traditional currencies to bitcoins and vice versa <strong>from banks</strong>? Do banks do this? and if not, why? </p>
 5406: <p>This is something that has not arrived yet (to my knowledge), but will probably emerge in the future.</p>

<p>We're getting close, e.g. the German Fidor Bank has a partnership with Bitcoin.de that let's you quickly transfer money to said market place, as well as having a partnership with Ripple; Ripple has signed up a large number of banks as customers, if current news reports are accurate; finally, multiple banks and the NYSE are investors in Coinbase.</p>

<p>There are numerous other such relationships of which almost certainly one will eventually come to fruition in this regard.</p>
