Category Archives: Blockchain, Crypto, Digital Assets Regulations

FCA Speech: Levelling the playing field – innovation in the service of consumers and the market

FCA | Nikhil Rathi | Apr 20, 2021

Nikhil Rathi CEO FCAHighlights

  • Success in financial innovation has been enabled by regulatory open-mindedness.
  • Support for innovation has been matched by action to protect consumers and markets.
  • The FCA will be taking forward the Kalifa Review’s recommendation for a Scalebox, including the creation of a regulatory nursery.
  • Online search and social media firms need to take greater responsibility for their role in connecting consumers with these investment offers.
  • We also need to make sure that our internal processes allow for quick action, which is why we are currently reviewing how our Regulatory Decisions Committee functions.

Thanks to many of you participating in this conference, UK fintech has grown successfully in recent years, at the forefront of global innovation.

Its revenue rose to £11bn in 2019 – almost doubling in only four years and accounting for almost 10% of the global total. Already this year, we have seen over $1bn worth of investment into UK fintech.

This revenue growth and investment has been supported by and, in turn encouraged, changes in consumer behaviour.

Seven in ten of us now use the services of at least one fintech company.

More consumers are adopting innovative ways of accessing financial services in the UK than in equivalent markets, for example using finance aggregator services to make it easier to save and manage outgoings.

This success in financial innovation has been enabled by regulatory open-mindedness; a trait not always associated with regulators.

So, why has the FCA taken this lead?

First, Parliament has given us a duty to promote competition.

The challenge for us is the balancing act required by the rider within our competition objective – in the interests of consumers.

The choice created by competitive markets is, in itself, not a social or economic good. It only becomes one when it delivers better or cheaper products, an improved or more tailored service, and pushes incumbents to fight harder to attract and keep their customers. Crucially, consumers must be armed with information they can readily understand to help them make the right choice for them.

See:  FCA and City of London’s Digital Sandbox Pilot – Presentations and Use Cases

In supporting innovation to deliver more competitive markets, another of our objectives is held in balance – that of consumer protection.

Innovation comes with risk. New products and new firms fail. They can take consumers’ money with them. As a result, we, as regulator, need to understand new ideas and stay close to innovative firms.

That is why, less than a year after the FCA was founded, we set up Project Innovate. This recognised that the financial services industry has high costs of entry, and so those wishing to join – with genuinely new ideas that support markets and provide choice to consumers – require additional regulatory support.

We have now supported over 500 highly innovative firms, around a third of those that applied.

137 firms have now also passed through the Sandbox, in which new innovative ideas are safely tested before reaching the market. Of those, over half successfully completed their test. And those tests that did not go as planned provided intelligence about what works and what doesn’t, without risk to consumers or markets.

As a result, there are products now on the market offering new ways to pay, insure and access advice. And to support the wider market, we have tested regtech solutions, for example how to manage the compliance in the issuance of digital assets or deal with anti-money laundering requirements.

See:  Culture: Why regulators should care about diversity and inclusion

This support for innovation has been matched by action to protect consumers and markets, where we believe the consumer or market benefits are few or unclear.

For example, while we can see how useful distributed ledger technology can be - indeed a number of products drawing on it have been through the sandbox - we have made clear our concerns about certain investments in cryptoassets, which rely on DLT.

Last year, we banned the sale of crypto derivatives to retail consumers because the majority lost money, despite significant price increases in the underlying assets.

We also warned that direct investment in cryptoassets is high risk, with few regulatory protections.

We have been blunt. If you invest, you should be able to afford to lose it all.

Continued support for innovation

In last month’s letter of recommendations for the FCA from the Chancellor, the FCA was asked to

“secure the right balance between a financial sector that is globally competitive, works for consumers, and is secure over the long-term.”

As part of this careful balancing act, the Chancellor announced the FCA will be taking forward the Kalifa Review’s recommendation for a Scalebox.

Here, we are drawing on lessons from Project Innovate, which has shown that once authorised, firms continue to need higher levels of support from the regulator and, often, enhanced oversight.

See:  FCA: Regulating innovation: a global enterprise

By autumn, we will develop plans to create a regulatory ‘nursery’.

This will create a period of enhanced oversight as those newly authorised firms develop and grow used to their regulatory status.

Currently, firms gain regulatory status and are treated in the same way as a firm with a long track record. The regulatory nursery will keep us in close contact with firms immediately post-authorisation so we can provide support and, where we need to, intervene earlier to steer firms in the right direction.

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

SEC Commissioner Peirce Pitches Token Safe Harbor Proposal Version 2.0

CrowdfundInsider | JD Alois | Apr 14, 2021

Commissioner Peirce candid shotSEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has posted an update to her Token Safe Habor proposal.

Back in February 2020, Commissioner Peirce revealed her proposal in an effort to create a regulatory environment that supported Fintech innovation while acknowledging the unique characteristics of digital assets. Since the emergence of crypto-assets, the SEC has struggled to manage the new asset class that may have characteristics of a security while also having a utility quality. In the end, the Commission has defaulted to the decades-old Howey Test to regulate crypto and, at times, regulation by enforcement. Commissioner Peirce’s first version of a safe harbor for token offerings sought to accommodate the ability for a digital asset to morph into a utility over a period of time while creators worked on the network that used a native token.

See:  Hester Peirce on personal liberty, crypto regs and retail investor particiation

From the beginning, Commissioner Peirce has stated the safe harbor is a work in process, accepting feedback from industry insiders. In recent conversations, the Commissioner hinted that an update would be forthcoming and yesterday she posted version 2.0 on Github. The Commissioner has invited further comments and an open debate on the Token Safe Harbor version 2.0.

In a public statement, the new version seeks to “provide network developers with a three-year grace period within which, under certain conditions, they can facilitate participation in and the development of a functional or decentralized network, exempted from the registration provisions of the federal securities laws.” Commissioner Peirce agrees that there is a need for regulatory clarity in the space – something regularly demanded by industry participants.

Commissioner Peirce stated:

“Three significant changes mark the updated version. First, to enhance token purchaser protections, the safe harbor proposal now requires semi-annual updates to the plan of development disclosure and a block explorer. Second, in response to concerns about the lack of clarity at what happens at the end of the three-year grace period, the safe harbor proposal now includes an exit report requirement.

Get Tickets:  See Commissioner Peirce Keynote Interview at FFCON21: Breaking Barriers May 11-13

The exit report would include either an analysis by outside counsel explaining why the network is decentralized or functional, or an announcement that the tokens will be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Third, the exit report requirement provides guidance on what outside counsel’s analysis should address when explaining why the network is decentralized. The guidance is not a bright-line test, but rather attempts to strike a balance between providing a manageable number of useful guideposts while maintaining sufficient flexibility for the facts and circumstances of each network to be considered in the analysis.”

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

Expert Slams FinCEN Proposed Rules on Virtual Currency and Other Digital Assets as a Mistake and Lose-Lose

CrowdfundInsider | JD Alois | Apr 19, 2021

Wrong way sign

Several months ago, FinCEN submitted for publication in the Federal Register its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding certain transactions that involve virtual currency or digital assets. FinCEN or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is a bureau of the US Department of the Treasury that seeks to combat domestic and international money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activity.

The proposal in question has received criticism from the digital asset industry due to the extensive reporting requirements in the potential rule. FinCEN came under criticism when it appeared to rush through the NPRM in the midst of the holidays and during the transition to the Biden administration and subsequently, an extension was added for the comment period regarding “digital assets with legal tender status” (LTDA) or involving “convertible virtual currency” (CVC).

David R. Burton, Senior Fellow in Economic Policy at The Heritage Foundation – and expert on legislation and securities law, submitted a comment letter addressing the proposed rules slamming the NPRM.

Burton, in his comment letter, said that combatting the financing of terrorism and other illicit activity is a very important goal. But the proposal by FinCEN fails in its objective as that “rules and reporting that do not actually further the objective of countering terrorism or other illicit finance and merely add substantial costs to the operations of law-abiding businesses are dumb regulations. Then there are rules that may actually impede law enforcement objectives. This proposed rule, in its current form, falls in [one] of the two latter categories.”

See: 

In the letter addressed to Kenneth Blanco, Director of FinCEN, Burton claims that FinCEN’s proposal addressing crypto would do “almost nothing to combat terrorism and illicit finance.” Burton states that FinCEN’s proposal is “likely to have a devastating economic impact on the responsible actors in the virtual currency, alternative currency or digital asset field and drive virtual currency users to engage in peer-to-peer transactions via unhosted wallets that cannot be effectively supervised by regulators” while undermining FinCEN’s stated mission.

To quote the letter:

“Stated a little differently, you can interpret this rushed rulemaking in one of two ways. Perhaps FinCEN actually wants to combat terrorism financing and other illicit finance in the virtual currency space and the agency just made a mistake in how to go about it. Or perhaps what FinCEN really cares about is either creating the appearance of action by generating some press or protecting legacy financial institutions from disruptive competition. After all, few, if any, journalists will take the time a few years hence to see if the rule actually worked. If it is the former, then, as explained below, FinCEN should withdraw this rule and start over. If it proceeds with this ill-advised rule, then it will be clear that it is either appearances, a desire to protect existing financial institutions from competition or a simple lack of understanding and sophistication that govern FinCEN’s actions.”

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

Gary Gensler Confirmed As SEC Chair—Former Goldman Banker And Crypto Professor

Forbes | Jonathan Ponciano | Apr 14, 2021

SEC – securities exchange commission

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nomination of Gary Gensler, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a forceful commodities regulator under former President Barack Obama, to head up the Securities and Exchange Commission, setting the stage for widespread reform as the agency takes on unprecedented stock-market volatility and booming institutional adoption in the nascent cryptocurrency space.

Key Facts

The Senate confirmed Gensler's appointment Wednesday afternoon in a vote of 53 to 45, placing the 63-year-old academic and former investment banker atop the agency charged with maintaining fair, orderly and efficient markets.

Gensler, who's promised to increase transparency and reduce risk in the market, succeeds former SEC Chair Jay Clayton, an attorney tapped by former President Donald Trump to undo financial regulations that "stifled investment in American companies."

The confirmation comes more than a month after the Senate Banking Committee voted 14 to 10 to advance Gensler's nomination for two terms ending on June 5, 2026.

See:  Will Gary Gensler at SEC be Good for Crypto?

The Senate only voted to confirm Gensler for the remainder of the term expiring June 5, so it will need to hold another vote for his second term.

Viewed as a leading reformer after the 2008 financial crisis, Gensler opened his nomination hearing in March by touting his five-year stint as chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and cautioning that "when we fail to root out wrongdoing, or to adapt to new technologies, or to really understand novel financial instruments, things can go very wrong."

What To Watch For

Crypto regulation under Gensler. In an interview with Forbes last month, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce acknowledged Gensler will have a "very busy agenda—much of which will have nothing to do with crypto," but she said he's likely to be "sympathetic to the call for regulatory clarity" in the space.

See:  Hester Peirce on personal liberty, crypto regs and retail investor particiation

The SEC has long delayed issuing firm regulation targeting digital currencies given its purview over securities (and not currencies), but Gensler—a professor focused on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management—will be overseeing the agency as it takes on a slew of bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications and as it investigates Ripple, the firm behind one of the world's largest cryptocurrencies, for the alleged sale of unregistered securities.

 

“When it comes to enforcement, Mr. Gensler has shown he has the guts to take on bad actors, no matter how big, no matter how powerful they are, and he will hold them accountable,” Senate Banking Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Tuesday.

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

ETF investors say Coinbase listing will cause explosion in crypto investing

ComplianceX | Jack J. Kelly | Apr 12, 2021

CryptocurrenciesThe pending Coinbase direct listing, scheduled for Wednesday on the Nasdaq under the symbol COIN, is exciting a broad base of the investment community outside the usual cryptocurrency crowd.

“Coinbase is going to blow people’s minds,” said Matt Hougan, chief investment officer at Bitwise Asset Management, which pioneered the first cryptocurrency index fund. “I think it’s going to force traditional finance to wrestle with the phenomenal growth that is taking place in crypto.”

It’s not hard to understand why. Coinbase is likely the biggest beneficiary of the cryptocurrency revival. It had 56 million verified users, with $1.8 billion in revenues in the first quarter alone, and a value that could be anywhere from $50 billion to $100 billion.

That is an extraordinary valuation for an exchange of any type. By contrast, Intercontinental Exchange, which runs the New York Stock Exchange, has a market cap of $65 billion, while Nasdaq has a market cap of $25 billion.

See:  The Under-Appreciated Significance of Coinbase Going Public

That kind of valuation is getting the investment community — and particularly exchange-traded fund investors — very excited.

Biggest crypto pure play

Crypto assets have had the same problem that other hot commodities (like pot or space) have had in the past: a high degree of interest with a notable lack of investible assets. Coinbase, however, will go a long way toward solving that problem.  Because ownership of crypto by individuals and institutions is still fairly low, many believe the valuation of Coinbase will encourage more private entities to go public.

“I think we’re going to see a gold rush for crypto equities as investors realize just how fast the ‘picks and shovels’ companies of the crypto ecosystem are growing,” Hougan said.

Michelle Bond, a former senior counsel at the SEC who is now CEO of the Association for Digital Asset Markets, an association of firms in the digital marketplace, said "the Coinbase listing will break down headline barriers because this will have to be approved by a traditional financial regulator, ensuring transparency, integrity and disclosure.”

There are countless altcoins in existence, but only a minute percentage have the potential to outmatch Ethereum, which has come second only to Bitcoin for some time now. Even with the market crash following the NFT surge and ‘The Merge’ taking place, Ethereum still holds a strong position. If you haven’t already got Ethereum in your investment portfolio, continue reading for three reasons why you should, and learn how to invest in Ethereum.

Will the SEC finally approve a bitcoin ETF?

While bitcoin ETFs exist in the U.S., they do not directly own bitcoin. They own portfolios of stocks deemed to have exposure to blockchain technology.  A bitcoin ETF that owns bitcoin is a long-awaited dream of crypto investors because it will greatly expand the class of potential owners.

“A bitcoin ETF will provide an easy, simple and efficient way to own bitcoin,” said Som Seif, who runs the Purpose Bitcoin ETF, which trades in Canada. “Just like gold, the storage and custody of bitcoin is unique. An ETF solves that problem. Also it’s like a stamp of approval: There’s institutional backing. The GLD [Gold ETF] changed the world when it came out in 2004. It made it easy to own gold as an asset class.”

See:  Canadian Regulators Green Light World’s First Bitcoin ETF for Retail Investors

Several weeks ago, the SEC acknowledged the receipt of Van Eck’s bitcoin ETF application, which set in motion a 45-day regulatory review period. At the end of that period, the SEC must either approve, deny or extend the review period. Several other firms, including Fidelity, have also applied for a bitcoin ETF.  Most observers believe the SEC will punt and seek to extend the review period. The maximum period is 240 days.  However, most bitcoin watchers believe late 2021 could finally be the year a bitcoin ETF is approved.

“The biggest potential change is [SEC Chair nominee] Gary Gensler,” Magoon said, noting that Gensler has taught cryptocurrencies and appears more receptive to a bitcoin filing. He also noted that SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, a Republican, has also been a supporter of a bitcoin ETF.

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

Ripple Wins Access to SEC Internal Documents on Bitcoin, Ether, and Other Cryptocurrencies

Blockchain News | Shine Li | Apr 7, 2021

ripple gets a court winRipple was granted access to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s internal documents pertaining to the agency’s interpretation and views on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether.

Bitcoin and Ether documents relevant to XRP case

In the United States, Bitcoin and Ethereum (ETH) are classified as non-securities and are regulated more as commodities. Ripple’s native cryptocurrency XRP has failed to gain a similar status in the US however, with the SEC pursuing Ripple for $1.3 billion in unregistered digital asset securities.

See:  Ripple Pilots a Private Ledger for Central Banks Launching CBDCs

The conclusion of yesterday’s discovery hearing was that defendants’ motion to access SEC’s internal documents on crypto was granted “in large part.” This means that the SEC will have to share internal and external documents related to the agency’s stance on cryptocurrencies. Staff-to-staff email communications are exempted from discovery, however.

Matthew Solomon, who acts as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s lawyer in the case, said that it may be “game over” for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit, once evidence on how XRP has been deemed similar to Bitcoin and Ether is uncovered. Additionally, with the SEC taking eight years before filing a complaint on XRP, Ripple attorneys believe that the lawsuit may be concluded once contradictory claims about XRP’s status made by the SEC is unveiled.

With Ripple triumphing during yesterday’s discovery hearing, the fintech firm will be able to compare its native cryptocurrency XRP against other cryptocurrencies the SEC has ruled as non-securities. Should XRP be deemed a non-security, it would mean that XRP would not fall under the SEC’s regulatory purview.

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The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter

 

CSA and IIROC Publish Guidance and Regulatory Framework for Crypto Asset Trading Platform Compliance

CSA / IIROC | Joint release | March 30, 2021

regulation and compliance

Toronto – The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) today published a notice outlining securities law requirements that apply to crypto asset trading platforms (CTPs) and how they may be tailored by regulators for the CTPs business model.

“The guidance in our notice details steps platform operators need to take to comply with securities legislation as they prepare to fully integrate into the Canadian regulatory structure,” said Louis Morisset, CSA Chair and President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers. “To bring their operations into compliance, CTPs should contact their local securities regulator now to discuss the registration process and address applicable requirements.”

“We are pleased to work with the CSA on such an important initiative,” said Andrew J. Kriegler, President and CEO, IIROC. “This framework provides guidance on how the regulatory requirements may be tailored to a platform’s business, without compromising investor protection or market integrity.”

See:  A Global Review Of The Regulatory Considerations Relating To Crypto-Asset Trading Platforms

The notice provides guidance on securities law requirements applicable to platforms whether trading crypto assets that are securities or derivatives, or contractual rights or claims to underlying crypto assets such as bitcoin or ether. The notice also outlines interim approaches that may be available to CTPs, that are intended to foster innovation and provide flexibility, while ensuring the CTPs operate in an appropriately regulated environment.

In addition, the notice provides an overview of key risks related to CTPs and areas where requirements may be tailored, provided that key risks are addressed and investor protection is not compromised. Finally, the notice outlines the process for submitting an application to the relevant CSA jurisdictions and IIROC.

“We remind all CTPs that are dealing with Canadians, including foreign-based CTPs, that they are expected to comply with Canadian securities legislation,” added Louis Morisset. “Failure to do so could result in CSA members pursuing enforcement action.”

In 2019, the CSA and IIROC published Joint CSA/IIROC Consultation Paper 21-402 Proposed Framework for Crypto-Asset Trading Platforms, which outlined a proposed regulatory framework for CTPs, and solicited comments to better understand the industry, its risks and how regulatory requirements may be tailored. The CSA and IIROC received 52 comment letters in response to the consultation paper and consulted extensively with industry stakeholders on issues specific to CTPs.

The CSA is aware of CTPs seeking to become reporting issuers through an initial public offering or through reverse take-overs, changes of business, Capital Pool Company qualifying transactions or similar transactions. There are potential public interest concerns with a CTP that is required to be registered, but that is not, becoming a reporting issuer.  CTPs and their representatives should contact their local securities regulator if they intend to become reporting issuers through an intial public offering or other transaction.

Joint Canadian Securities Administrators and Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada Notice 21-329 Guidance for Crypto Asset Trading Platforms: Compliance with Regulatory Requirements is available on the websites of CSA members and IIROC.

Download the 56 page PDF Regulatory Guidance for Crypto Trading Platforms --> here


The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org

NCFA Financial Innovation MapNCFA Innovation Opportunity BriefsNCFA Fintech Insights
NCFA Fintech WhispererNCFA Fintech Fridays PodcastNCFA Weekly Newsletter