Canada’s first regulated crypto exchange Wealthsimple Crypto goes live

Wealthsimple Crypto, the first regulated cryptocurrency exchange in Canada, is rolling out its trading platform to the public today.

Starting from Sept. 22, users in all 13 provinces and territories in Canada will be able to sign up for the new product and start trading cryptocurrencies.

At the launch, Wealthsimple Crypto will allow users to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) through the platform’s mobile app. Deposits and withdrawals can only be made in Canadian dollars,

The public launch of Wealthsimple Crypto comes shortly after the company received regulatory approval from Canadian securities regulators on Aug. 7. To date, Wealthsimple Crypto is the only crypto asset platform that has been authorized to operate in Canada by the Canadian Securities Administration (CSA), a representative told Cointelegraph.

Prior to public launch, Wealthsimple Crypto was available in beta, allowing Canadians to join a waitlist to be invited to use the platform. According to Wealthsimple’s representatives, more than 130,000 Canadians joined the waitlist so far.

Wealthsimple will not hold any cryptocurrency assets in its own hot or cold wallets. Blair Wiley, Wealthsimple's general counsel, says that the crypto custody service on Wealthsimple is provided by Gemini, a major United States-based digital asset platform founded by Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss.

According to Wiley, collaboration with Gemini is one of the factors that contributed to Wealthsimple Crypto becoming regulated in Canada. The exec previously said that trying to offer too many services can be an impediment to becoming a fully regulated exchange, stating:

“Probably the simplest explanation is that folks who came before us tried to do everything — buy and sell crypto for clients, operate an exchange, hold onto the crypto that clients buy [...] And each one of those activities has its own long list of regulatory requirements. If one business tries to do all that, it makes getting regulatory approval a lot harder.”

Based in Toronto, Wealthsimple is a Canadian online investment management service focused on millennials. The company announced its plans to offer crypto trading in July 2020.