Compare the best crypto exchanges in Canada for 2026: regulation, CAD deposits and withdrawals, fees, coins, futures and each exchange's main catch.
Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada Accepts clients from Canada| Exchange | Spot assetscrypto | Futures assets | Spot feesmaker/taker | Futures feesmaker/taker | Max leverage | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CoinbaseVisit | 402 | 131 | 0.4% / 0.6% | 0.05% / 0.05% | 10× | Yes |
| 2. BTCCVisit | 246 | — | 0.2% / 0.3% | 0.03% / 0.06% | 500× | Yes |
| 3. GeminiVisit | 75 | 7 | 0.6% / 1.2% | 0.02% / 0.07% | 20× | Yes |
| 4. KrakenVisit | 679 | 177 | 0.4% / 0.8% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 50× | Yes |
| 5. BingXVisit | 637 | 569 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.05% | 150× | Yes |
| 6. PhemexVisit | 1,027 | 816 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.01% / 0.06% | 100× | Yes |
| 7. KuCoinVisit | 814 | 677 | 0.1% / 0.1% | 0.02% / 0.06% | 125× | Yes |
| Exchange | Score | Founded | Headquarters | Founder | CEO | KYC | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CoinbaseVisit | 7.7 | 2012 | Remote | Brian Armstrong | Brian Armstrong | Required | Yes |
| 2. BTCCVisit | 7.5 | 2011 | London | Bobby Lee | Mark Lee | No KYC | Yes |
| 3. GeminiVisit | 7.2 | 2014 | New York, USA | Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss | Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss | Required | Yes |
| 4. KrakenVisit | 9.3 | 2011 | San Francisco, USA | Jesse Powell | David Ripley | Required | Yes |
| 5. BingXVisit | 7.1 | 2018 | Singapore | Josh Lu | Vivien Lin | Required | Yes |
| 6. PhemexVisit | 7 | 2019 | Singapore | Jack Tao | Jack Tao | No KYC | Yes |
| 7. KuCoinVisit | 7.1 | 2017 | Seychelles | Michael Gan | BC Wong | Required | Yes |
The Canada column is checked live against each exchange's restricted-country list.
Coinbase is our top pick for Canadians who are new to crypto and want an easy app with a wide coin choice, even though its spot fees are high. Kraken, BTCC and BingX suit other needs, from cashing out to a bank to futures trading and low fees.
Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Canada, and platforms must register with a provincial or territorial securities regulator and with FINTRAC. Beyond that, check how you move Canadian dollars in and out. Most people here pay by Interac e-Transfer, wire or electronic funds transfer. Then compare what each trade costs and which coins you can buy.
Coinbase is the easiest place here to buy your first coin, because its app is built for beginners and still offers 402 coins on spot. You can fund the account with a card or PayPal and withdraw to a bank account by transfer, so getting money in and out stays simple.
That simplicity costs money on spot trades: 0.4% for limit orders and 0.6% for market orders, which eats into small, frequent buys. Futures are far cheaper at 0.05% for makers and takers, with up to 10x leverage on 131 coins. Pre-launch markets for new tokens aren't offered in Canada, so you can't use that feature.
ID verification is required, and you also get staking, cold storage and proof of reserves. Brian Armstrong co-founded Coinbase in 2012 and still runs it as CEO, and the company operates remotely rather than from one headquarters. In 2021 more than 6,000 customers had their accounts compromised, so switch on two-factor authentication and a withdrawal whitelist from the start.
Key points
Registered with FINTRAC as a money services business in Canada, BTCC is built for futures traders, with up to 500x leverage. Fees stay low at 0.03% for makers and 0.06% for takers. Copy trading and a demo account let you practise before risking real money.
You can deposit with a card, bank transfer, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Skrill, but the fiat on-ramp only buys USDT. Withdrawals are crypto only, so reaching your Canadian bank means moving coins to another platform and selling there. Spot covers 246 coins at a fixed 0.2% maker and 0.3% taker.
ID checks are optional, but unverified accounts can withdraw only up to $10,000 a day. BTCC publishes proof of reserves, has no hacks on record, and was co-founded in 2011 by Bobby Lee; it is based in London and run by CEO Mark Lee. The main risk is the leverage itself, since at 500x a small price move can wipe out your whole position.
Key points
Cautious buyers get a tightly supervised platform with Gemini, a licensed New York trust company overseen by the New York Department of Financial Services. That oversight, plus proof of reserves and hardware security key support, suits someone who puts safety ahead of choice. The app switches between a simple mode and ActiveTrader.
Funding is flexible: card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay or wire in, and bank transfer, card or PayPal out. The catch is price and range, with new accounts paying 0.6% maker and 1.2% taker on spot, and only 75 coins listed. Futures cost 0.02% maker and 0.07% taker but cover just 7 coins, with up to 20x leverage.
You must verify your ID and address before trading, and staking is available. Gemini was founded in 2014 by twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who also run it, and is based in New York, USA. Its record includes a 2022 data breach of 5.7 million customer records and a $36 million theft tied to IRA Financial that year, so expect phishing emails and lock the account with a security key.
Key points
For the broadest coin choice from a FINTRAC-registered exchange, Kraken is hard to beat, with 679 coins on spot. That means you can buy majors and small altcoins in one account backed by a long compliance record. Kraken Pro adds futures on 177 coins, with leverage reaching 50x, and a demo mode lets you practise first.
You can fund by bank transfer, card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and withdraw by bank transfer, which makes cashing out to your bank straightforward. Spot fees are steep at 0.4% maker and 0.8% taker, so frequent small trades add up. Futures are cheap at 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker.
You'll have to verify your identity to sign up, and in return you get staking, proof of reserves, cold storage and 24/7 support. Kraken dates from 2011, when Jesse Powell co-founded it, and today it's headquartered in San Francisco, USA under CEO David Ripley. In 2024 CertiK exploited a bug to take $3 million from Kraken's treasury; it was returned and no customer assets were affected, but it shows no exchange is flawless, so hold long-term coins in your own wallet.
Key points
Low fees across a huge menu are what BingX offers: spot trades cost 0.1% for makers and takers on 637 coins. Futures cost 0.02% maker and 0.05% taker, cover 569 coins and allow as much as 150x leverage. You can also trade 417 tokenized stocks, 42 forex pairs and 26 commodities from one account.
BingX is licensed in Canada and handles Canadian dollars, and you can deposit by bank transfer or card, or buy crypto from other users on its P2P market. Copy trading, grid bots and a free demo account let newer traders practise or automate before committing real money.
BingX asks for ID before you trade, keeps most funds in cold storage and updates its proof of reserves monthly. Josh Lu co-founded BingX in 2018; the exchange has its base in Singapore, with Vivien Lin as chief executive. In September 2024 attackers drained over $44 million from a hot wallet; BingX repaid customers from its reserves, but the incident is a reminder to keep only trading money on any exchange.
Key points
No exchange here lists more coins than Phemex: 1,027 on spot and 816 with futures, at up to 100x leverage. For altcoin traders that breadth comes cheap: spot trades cost 0.1% whether you place a limit order or buy at market, and futures run 0.01% maker and 0.06% taker.
After verification you can deposit by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, wire or providers such as MoonPay and Banxa, and withdraw by bank transfer as well as crypto. Free trading bots, copy trading, a demo account and a P2P market cover most trading styles, and 35 tokenized stocks add some variety.
New accounts must pass ID verification before depositing, trading or withdrawing, and Phemex publishes proof of reserves. Phemex launched in 2019; co-founder Jack Tao still leads it as CEO, and the company is based in Singapore. In January 2025 hackers stole about $85 million from its hot wallets, which shows the risk of leaving coins on the platform, so move long-term holdings to your own wallet.
Key points
Altcoin hunters come to KuCoin for depth: 814 coins on spot, where standard tokens cost 0.1% for both limit and market orders and less popular ones cost 0.2% or 0.3%. KuCoin's futures charge 0.02% for makers and 0.06% for takers across 677 coins, with leverage capped at 125x.
Elsewhere in Canada you can buy with a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer or its P2P market, mostly through third-party providers whose fees vary. Fiat withdrawals run through SEPA, Faster Payments, Volet and P2P, so from Canada P2P is the practical way to cash out.
ID verification is required before you deposit, trade or withdraw, and KuCoin publishes proof of reserves and offers staking. Co-founder Michael Gan helped start KuCoin in 2017; its headquarters are in Seychelles, and BC Wong holds the CEO role. KuCoin pleaded guilty in the United States in January 2025 to running an unlicensed money transmitting business, and a 2020 hot wallet key leak led to large withdrawals, so weigh that record before holding much there.
Key points
Our editorial team selected, tested and ranked the best crypto exchanges for traders in Canada. We picked exchanges that accept users in Canada and weighed the whole package each one offers. The order is our editors’ judgment of that package, while the CWR Score on each card rates that exchange on its own, so an exchange placed lower can carry a higher score.
Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Canada, but crypto isn’t legal tender, and federal and provincial deposit insurance doesn’t cover it. Crypto trading platforms that hold crypto for their clients, or trade securities or derivatives, must be registered with a provincial or territorial securities regulator; these regulators work together as the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). Businesses that deal in virtual currency must also register with FINTRAC, Canada’s financial intelligence agency, as money services businesses before they start operating.
Registered platforms operate under terms and conditions set in each platform’s registration decision. FINTRAC registration isn’t an endorsement or a licence; it only shows that a business met the legal requirement to register. The federal Stablecoin Act has received Royal Assent, with the Bank of Canada supervising stablecoin issuers once the framework comes into force, expected in 2027.
In Canada, selling crypto, trading it for another crypto-asset, using it to buy goods or services, or giving it away counts as a disposition for tax. If you invest rather than run a business, half of your capital gain (the taxable capital gain) is added to your income for the year. Capital losses can only reduce capital gains, and net capital losses can be carried back three years or forward indefinitely. If your activity looks like a business, for example frequent trades held for short periods, the full profit is business income instead.
Staking rewards from a centralized exchange are generally income when they’re credited to your account, and mining is usually treated as a business. You report crypto capital gains on Schedule 3 of your T1 return, in the section for bonds, debentures, promissory notes, crypto-assets and similar property. For most people, returns and any balance owing are due by April 30; self-employed people have until June 15 to file.
This is a general overview, not tax advice. Tax rules change and depend on your situation, so check with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) or a tax adviser before you file.
Official sources, checked September 2026: CRA: Reporting income from crypto-asset transactions; CRA: Reporting income from crypto-asset mining and staking activities; CRA: Reporting your capital gains as a crypto-asset user; CRA: Important dates for individuals.
Getting your first Bitcoin or Ethereum in Canada takes little more than opening an online bank account, once you know which exchange you want.
Coinbase is the easiest start for a first purchase in Canada, while Kraken pairs FINTRAC registration with a wide coin list and bank-transfer withdrawals. BTCC suits futures traders who don’t mind cashing out through crypto. BingX and Phemex keep fees low for active traders, though both have had hot wallet hacks, and KuCoin can’t be used in Ontario or British Columbia. Crypto is legal to buy and hold here but isn’t covered by deposit insurance, so keep long-term coins in your own wallet and leave only trading money on an exchange.
Yes. Buying, holding and trading crypto is legal in Canada, but crypto isn't legal tender, and federal and provincial deposit insurance doesn't cover it. Trading platforms must register with a provincial or territorial securities regulator and with FINTRAC.
Coinbase is the simplest to start with. Its app is built for first-time buyers and lists more than 400 coins, though spot fees are high. Kraken is a good next step if you want more coins and a bank-transfer cash-out.
Kraken and BTCC are registered with FINTRAC as money services businesses, and BingX is licensed in Canada. FINTRAC registration isn't an endorsement or a licence. It only shows that a business met the legal requirement to register.
Kraken, Coinbase, Gemini and Phemex all offer withdrawals by bank transfer. BTCC only lets you withdraw crypto, and KuCoin's practical cash-out route from Canada is its P2P market.
BingX, Phemex and KuCoin charge 0.1% on spot trades for both makers and takers, and Phemex's futures maker fee is just 0.01%. Coinbase and Gemini cost far more on spot, with taker fees of 0.6% and 1.2%.
Crypto gains can be taxable in Canada, so keep a record of every trade. See "How is crypto taxed in Canada?" above for how it works.
