The Bitlicense doesn't affect regular users, just certain businesses that deal with trading bitcoin.
You are correct that the BitLicense does not affect regular users. The regulations impact businesses that provide services to users in the Bitcoin ecosystem space, but it impacts much more than trading digital currencies.
I am the founder of ArtByte, the digital currency supporting artists of all types, around the world. We are one of the many Bitcoin ecosystem organizations that made the decision to pull out of the New York market rather than obtain a BitLicense.
Here are the services that we provide our users that fall under the BitLicense, and so are no longer available to New York residents:
Grants and awards - The ArtByte Foundation gives awards and grants to artists, payable in ArtBytes
Social media tipping apps - artists are tipped by fans with ArtBytes
Official pool server - for our miners
The Orchard (faucet server) - free giveaways of ArtBytes
Only the social media tipping apps fall under FinCEN regulations, New York has included all transactions, even giving of digital currency to another.
Regular users in NY can still download wallets, send, receive and spend ArtBytes, but the ArtByte Foundation can not provide the services listed above to NY residents. These same rules would apply to all Bitcoin ecosystem companies.
