The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) umbrella group has
announced that it will take a tougher line
with respect to preregistration undertakings (Undertakings) for
crypto asset trading platforms (CTPs) that operate in Canada but
are not yet registered to do so. The announcement follows the
high-profile failures of CTPs that put a spotlight on investor
protection concerns. The CSA will require Undertakings to include
expanded terms, and regulators will shortly communicate to
unregistered platforms a deadline by which Undertakings must be
delivered.
The CSA also announced its view that stablecoins, or stablecoin
arrangements, may constitute securities and/or derivatives.
PREREGISTRATION UNDERTAKINGS UPDATE
The CSA previously announced that it will require
Undertakings to be delivered by CTPs that operate in Canada but are
not yet registered to do so, in an effort to level the playing
field between such CTPs and those that are registered and operating
under the conditions of exemption orders issued by the Canadian
securities regulators. The CSA concurrently published the
Undertakings delivered by two platforms that were not yet
registered at that time: the entities operating as Crypto.com and
Coinsquare. See our August 2022 Blakes Bulletin: Undertakings Now Expected for
Crypto Asset Trading Platforms Operating in Canada While Seeking
Registration.
However, since that announcement in August 2022, no further
Undertakings have been made public. To speed up the delivery of
Undertakings, the CSA announced that its members will shortly
communicate to unregistered platforms that are currently subject to
Canadian securities law a deadline by which Undertakings must be
delivered — failing which the CSA will consider all
regulatory options to bring the platform into compliance with
securities law, including enforcement action.
Undertakings will now include expanded terms and conditions
covering, among other things:
- a requirement to hold Canadian clients' assets with an "appropriate" custodian, generally being one that is regulated by a financial regulator in Canada, the U.S. or a similar jurisdiction with a supervisory regime for conduct and financial regulation;
- a requirement to segregate Canadian clients' assets from the platform's proprietary assets; and
- a prohibition on offering margin or leverage for any Canadian client (previously, Undertakings had permitted leverage in certain circumstances, such as for sophisticated "permitted clients").
STABLECOINS
The CSA also announced that it is taking the view that
stablecoins, or stablecoin arrangements, may constitute securities
and/or derivatives. This is significant, as crypto trading
platforms that are registered or that have entered into a
preregistration undertaking are prohibited from permitting Canadian
clients to trade, or obtain exposure to, any crypto asset that is
itself a security and/or derivative. CTPs are expected to have
established policies and procedures to determine whether each
crypto asset they provide exposure to is a security and/or
derivative.
Additionally, in light of the CSA's view respecting
stablecoins, non-custodial CTPs that seek to avoid trading in
"crypto contracts" and tokens that may be securities or
derivatives should carefully evaluate their trading practices in
respect of stablecoins.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.