Crypto Exchange Licensing and Registration in Canada
Running a crypto exchange means clearing two regulators, not just one. We handle your FINTRAC registration and guide you through the securities requirements that trading platforms face, so your exchange operates lawfully.
A Crypto Exchange Answers to Two Regulators
Operating a trading platform makes you a money services business under FINTRAC, but it usually makes you more than that. Because you match buyers and sellers and may hold client assets, provincial securities regulators often treat your exchange as a marketplace or dealer, adding a second and heavier layer of obligation.
The Securities Layer Most Exchanges Underestimate
Canadian securities regulators expect crypto trading platforms to register or operate under a pre-registration undertaking while they work toward full registration. That can mean dealer registration, marketplace obligations, custody and safeguarding standards for client assets, and provincial oversight from bodies like the OSC and the AMF. We map the whole picture before you launch.
FINTRAC Registration
We register your exchange as a money services business dealing in virtual currency.
Securities Mapping
We assess your platform against marketplace and dealer obligations under provincial securities law.
Custody Standards
We build the client asset safeguarding and segregation controls regulators expect from exchanges.
AML Program
We deliver your reporting, monitoring, and Travel Rule controls beneath both regimes.
Ready to Simplify Your Compliance?
Trading Platforms We Support
We support centralised crypto exchanges, crypto asset trading platforms, brokerage and dealer platforms, and hybrid services that combine trading with custody or payments for Canadian users, whether launching or scaling.
We support banks with program design, oversight, & regulatory examination readiness.
We help credit unions meet obligations proportionate to their membership and scale.
We handle registration, renewals, reporting, & controls FINTRAC expects from you.
We cover Bank of Canada registration alongside your anti money laundering obligations.
We establish what your wallet activity triggers, then build only what applies.
We build compliance around what your product does, before volumes and questions arrive.
We register virtual currency dealers and build the reporting their activity demands.
We support financial institutions across registration, program build, and reporting duties.
Why Crypto Exchanges Choose Us
Dual Regime
We handle FINTRAC and securities obligations together, so the second regulator never derails your launch after the first.
Custody Ready
Client asset safeguarding is where exchanges draw scrutiny, so we build the custody controls regulators want to see.
Provincial Reach
Securities rules vary by province, so we align your registration with each regulator whose market you actually serve.
Serving Exchanges Across Canada
We support crypto exchanges right across Canada, from Toronto and Montreal to Vancouver and Calgary, aligning your registration with each of the provincial securities regulators whose markets your platform actually serves.
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.
Crypto Exchange Licensing Questions
Clear answers to the questions trading platforms ask most about FINTRAC registration, securities obligations, and licensing a crypto exchange in Canada.
Do crypto exchanges need a licence?
An exchange must register with FINTRAC as a money services business and usually must also register with securities regulators as a marketplace or dealer.
Why do securities rules apply?
Because matching buyers and sellers and holding client assets can make your platform a marketplace or dealer under provincial securities law, not merely an MSB.
What is a pre-registration undertaking?
A commitment many trading platforms give to securities regulators, agreeing to meet defined conditions while they work toward full registration in Canada.
Must we safeguard client assets?
Yes. Securities regulators expect exchanges to segregate and safeguard client assets, often with custody standards and proof that reserves genuinely exist.
Does FINTRAC registration still apply?
Always. The securities layer sits on top of your FINTRAC obligations, so reporting, monitoring, and the Travel Rule continue to apply underneath.