Financial Crime Compliance for Market Makers
Market makers quote continuously rather than serving any clients at all, which changes the whole compliance question entirely from customer identification toward sanctions screening and genuine market integrity controls instead of that.
- FINTRAC Registered
- Cross-Border Expertise
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Quoting Markets Rather Than Serving Clients
A market maker provides liquidity by quoting both sides of a market continuously, taking the other side of trades arriving from the market rather than from clients that it onboarded itself. There is frequently no customer relationship at all, which removes the identification and monitoring obligations that dominate compliance for firms dealing on behalf of others.
What remains is genuinely significant. Sanctions obligations apply under separate legislation regardless of any reporting entity status, and screening counterparties in a market where you take the other side of anonymous flow requires thought. Market integrity expectations also apply, since quoting behaviour that manipulates price or misleads other participants attracts attention from an entirely different direction.
Compliance Support for Market Makers
We deliver regulatory scope determinations, sanctions screening frameworks suited to anonymous flow, market integrity controls, quoting conduct standards, financial crime risk assessment, independent reviews where required, and ongoing compliance support for market making firms in Canada.
PSP Registration
End-to-end PSP registration support under Canada's Retail Payment Activities Act framework.
MSB Licensing
Complete MSB licensing and FINTRAC registration for money services businesses nationwide.
Banking
Deliver secure banking compliance solutions supporting regulatory excellence and operational efficiency.
AML Compliance
Build robust AML frameworks ensuring regulatory compliance and effective financial crime prevention.
Regulatory Consulting
Receive strategic regulatory advice supporting sustainable growth and complete compliance confidence.
Transaction Monitoring
Ongoing transaction monitoring and screening to detect and report suspicious activity.
Why Market Makers Choose Us
We build only what genuinely applies to a firm quoting markets rather than serving clients, because customer identification frameworks are largely irrelevant where no customer relationship actually exists at all.
Scope Honestly Established
We establish which obligations genuinely reach a market maker, since firms without client relationships carry considerably different requirements.
Sanctions Properly Screened
We build screening suited to anonymous market flow, because sanctions obligations apply whatever your reporting entity status happens to be.
Quoting Conduct Covered
We build standards around quoting behaviour, since conduct that misleads other participants attracts attention from an entirely different direction.
Registration Status Checked
We confirm what your registration actually brings, because some market makers carry dealer obligations while others genuinely do not.
Market Makers We Support
We support market making firms operating anywhere in Canada today, alongside foreign firms that quote on Canadian venues or provide liquidity into Canadian markets from entirely outside the country itself.
What Our Clients Say
Canadian financial firms trust ABM Global Compliance to navigate complex regulation with clarity and care. From MSB licensing to ongoing AML support, our clients value our responsiveness, expertise, and genuine commitment to their long-term compliance success.
Let's Talk About Your Compliance Needs
Schedule a Free Consultation
Whether you’re starting a new MSB or need ongoing AML support, our team responds within one business day.
Market Making Questions
Clear and direct answers to the questions market makers ask most about which financial crime obligations genuinely apply to liquidity provision.
Do we have client obligations?
Frequently not, since quoting markets rather than serving clients removes the customer identification duties dominating compliance for dealing firms.
Does our registration change this?
It can. Some market makers hold dealer registration bringing full obligations, so we confirm your position rather than assuming either answer.
How do we screen anonymous flow?
Screening focuses on identifiable counterparties and venues rather than anonymous order flow, which we design around your actual market access.
Do sanctions obligations apply here?
Yes. Sanctions requirements arise under separate legislation entirely and apply to market makers whatever their anti money laundering status happens to be.
What about our quoting conduct?
Behaviour that manipulates price or misleads participants attracts regulatory attention separately, which makes conduct standards genuinely worth building properly.