Foreign Exchange Business Setup in Canada
Starting a foreign exchange business takes far more than a storefront. We guide you from company structure and banking through to FINTRAC registration and compliance, so your bureau launches ready to trade legally.
Everything Your FX Business Needs to Launch
Setting up a currency exchange involves several moving parts: incorporating the business, opening banking that will actually accept a cash-heavy operation, registering with FINTRAC properly, and building your compliance program before you serve any customers. We sequence all of these steps so that nothing stalls your launch.
Registration Is the Step You Cannot Skip
Dealing in foreign exchange makes you a money services business under the PCMLTFA, so FINTRAC registration is mandatory before your first transaction. Many founders leave it too late and delay their own opening. We build it into your setup timeline from the start, alongside the compliance program the regulator expects.
Business Structure
We advise on incorporation and structure suited to a regulated foreign exchange business.
Banking Setup
We prepare the documentation banks require before opening an account for a cash business.
FINTRAC Registration
We register your foreign exchange business and declare your activities to FINTRAC.
Compliance Launch
We deliver the policies, risk assessment, and training you need before opening day.
Ready to Simplify Your Compliance?
Exchange Businesses We Launch
We help entrepreneurs launch bureaux de change, retail exchange counters, airport and hotel kiosks, and online foreign exchange platforms, whether you are opening a first location or expanding an existing operation.
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 Founders Choose Us to Launch
Full Setup
We handle the whole launch, from structure and banking to registration and compliance, so nothing critical gets missed.
Right Sequence
Each step depends on the last, so we order your setup to avoid the delays that catch first-time founders.
Launch Ready
You open fully registered and compliant, ready to serve customers from your very first trading day.
Launching Exchanges Across Canada
We help set up foreign exchange businesses nationwide, from Toronto and Vancouver through to Calgary and Montreal, including the bureaux planning several locations or provincial expansion right from the outset.
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.
FX Business Setup Questions
Clear answers to the questions entrepreneurs ask most about setting up, registering, and launching a foreign exchange business in Canada.
What do I need to start?
A registered company, banking that accepts a cash business, FINTRAC registration as a money services business, and a compliance program, all in place before launch.
Do I register before or after launching?
Before. FINTRAC registration is mandatory before your first foreign exchange transaction, so it belongs early in your setup, not after opening.
Is banking hard for FX businesses?
Often, yes. Banks scrutinise cash-intensive businesses closely, so strong compliance documentation from day one is what secures and keeps your account.
How long does setup take?
It varies with incorporation, banking, and registration timelines, but planning the steps in the right order is what prevents avoidable delays to your opening.
Can you handle the whole setup?
Yes. We manage structure, banking preparation, FINTRAC registration, and compliance together, so you launch a fully operational and compliant business.