News Release
Canadian securities regulators publish additional guidance for entities facilitating the trading of crypto assets
Jan 16, 2020
Montreal - The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today published Staff Notice 21-327 Guidance on the Application of Securities Legislation to Entities Facilitating the Trading of Crypto Assets, to help these entities to determine situations where securities legislation may or may not apply.
“The evolving landscape of the industry prompts us to clarify our regulatory framework so as to better support fintech businesses seeking to offer innovative products, services and applications in Canada,” said Louis Morisset, CSA Chair and President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers. “As we continue to consider the comments and responses to the consultation we launched last year, the staff notice published today will help platform operators to determine whether their activities are subject to securities legislation.”
The notice describes situations where securities legislation will and will not apply. For example, securities legislation may apply to platforms that facilitate the buying and selling of crypto assets that are commodities, because the user’s contractual right to the crypto asset may itself constitute a derivative, a security or both.
The relevant determination will depend on the facts and circumstances, including the obligations and intention to provide immediate delivery of the crypto asset. The notice provides guidance on what constitutes immediate delivery, together with a detailed example of a situation where securities legislation does not apply.
The CSA and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) continue to review the comments and responses to Joint CSA/IIROC Consultation Paper 21-402 Proposed Framework for Crypto-Asset Trading Platforms. We anticipate publishing a summary of comments and responses along with guidance on the regulatory framework applicable to crypto-asset trading platforms that are subject to securities legislation later this year.
CSA Staff Notice 21-327 Guidance on the Application of Securities Legislation to Entities Facilitating the Trading of Crypto Assets is available here.
The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co- ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.
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For more information:
Kristen Rose
Ontario Securities Commission
416-593-2336
media_inquiries@osc.gov.on.ca
Brian Kladko
British Columbia Securities Commission
mediainquiries@bcsc.bc.ca
Jason Booth
The Manitoba Securities Commission
204-945-1660
Shannon McMillan
Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan
306-798-4160
David Harrison
Nova Scotia Securities Commission
902-424-8586
Renée Dyer
Office of the Superintendent of Securities
Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-4909
Rhonda Horte
Office of the Yukon Superintendent of Securities
867-667-5466
Hilary McMeekin
Alberta Securities Commission
403-592-8186
Sylvain Théberge
Autorité des marchés financiers
sylvain.theberge@lautorite.qc.ca
Sara Wilson
Financial and Consumer Services Commission, New Brunswick
506-643-7045
Steven Dowling
Government of Prince Edward Island
Superintendent of Securities
902-368-4550
Jeff Mason
Nunavut Securities Office
867-975-6591
Tom Hall
Office of the Superintendent of Securities,
Northwest Territories
867-767-9305