On July 28, 2026, the Ontario Securities Commission published its 2026 crypto asset survey covering 2,360 Canadians. The document is a survey report issued under the OSC's investor protection mandate under the Securities Act (Ontario), R.S.O. 1990, c. S.5. It is not an enforcement action or regulatory instrument but reflects the OSC's ongoing monitoring of retail investor exposure to crypto assets.
The survey found that 59% of respondents are aware of crypto assets and 25% own them, both metrics up from prior survey waves. Among crypto owners, 50% reported checking whether their trading platform is registered with the OSC or another Canadian securities regulator before use, up from 38% in 2023. Registration requirements for crypto asset trading platforms derive from Canadian Securities Administrators Staff Notice 21-329 and subsequent CSA guidance, which classifies many platforms as dealers or marketplaces subject to provincial securities law and requires them to pre-register or obtain exemptive relief.
Registered crypto asset trading platforms in Canada must comply with OSC and CSA requirements covering account segregation, know-your-client procedures, product suitability, and concentration limits. The survey data on registration awareness is relevant to platform compliance teams: as consumer awareness of registration requirements grows, regulators are better positioned to argue that unregistered platforms knowingly serve an investor population familiar with the registration obligation, supporting more aggressive enforcement action.
The survey follows CSA's ongoing review of crypto asset trading platform terms and conditions, including custody and insolvency disclosures. Canada's 2024 federal budget committed to implementing the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, which requires crypto asset service providers to report transaction data to tax authorities. The Department of Finance and CSA have yet to set final Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework implementation timelines across Canadian jurisdictions.
Licentium advises crypto asset businesses on Canadian and international regulatory compliance and maintains a partner network with Canadian-qualified securities and fintech counsel. To discuss OSC registration requirements or Canadian crypto compliance planning, contact us. Work we undertake includes: crypto asset regulatory analysis, trading platform registration strategy, CSA compliance, Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework readiness, and multi-jurisdictional digital asset licensing.
Source: Ontario Securities Commission, Crypto Asset Survey 2026 (28 July 2026)