Some banks are putting up roadblocks that prevent Canadians from buying and selling digital currencies, even though crypto transactions are becoming increasingly common, and it is now easier than ever to purchase crypto. That's why it's important to choose a bank that supports crypto and has no history of shutting down accounts due to cryptocurrency activity.
Regardless of the bank you choose, though, you'll need to pair your account with a reliable cryptocurrency exchange for buying and selling cryptocurrencies. Kraken is our #1-ranked exchange, and with its current $50 signup bonus available until September 28, 2023, we can't recommend Kraken highly enough.
6 Canadian Banks That Allow Cryptocurrency
1. KOHO
KOHO is a Canadian online bank that was launched in 2017. It provides one of the best banking experiences through its highly-rated mobile app, and it offers competitive interest rates. Additionally, they have a very attractive cashback program where you can earn up to 5% cash back on every purchase. It also offers free unlimited electronic transactions and there are no monthly fees for the basic account; with the premium account, you get discounts on foreign transactions and some extra perks.
KOHO is a federally chartered bank in Canada and a member of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC). It is a completely digital bank with no physical location, and it is available in all provinces.
Features
- Use your account to purchase crypto on sites like Coinsmart, Coinbase, and Binance
- 0.50% cash back on all purchases (up to 5% at select stores).
- 1.20% interest on all your balance.
- Early Payroll (up to 3 days early)
- Unlimited free Interac e-Transfers and online transactions.
- Joint savings accounts.
Cost
- No minimum balance.
- Monthly fee: Free (or $9 for the premium account)
- Foreign ATM fees: 1.5% + $3
Best For
People looking for a very flexible banking option.
2. Tangerine
Tangerine is a popular Canadian online bank that was established by Scotiabank in 2014. It's one of the few online banks that hasn't strayed far from the brick & mortar bank norm, mainly because it has ties with Scotiabank.
Despite that, however, Tangerine is one of the few Canadian banks that have embraced cryptocurrency. It currently allows you to make crypto purchases through Interac e-Transfers, and it has additional features such as real-time spending notifications and sub-savings accounts called goals, which make saving for a particular goal easier.
Features
- Allows you to purchase Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies through Interac e-Transfers.
- Top-notch security features.
- Real-time spending notifications (known as goals).
- Sub-savings bank accounts.
Cost
- Interac e-Transfer fee: Free
Best For
People looking for an intuitive online bank.
3. Toronto Dominion (TD)
The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation formed on February 1, 1955, through the merger of the Bank of Toronto and The Dominion Bank, which were founded in 1855 and 1869. The bank has its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario, and it is commonly referred to as TD and operates as the TD Bank Group.
It's one of the best Canadian banks allowing crypto, mainly because it supports a wide array of methods for buying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, including Interac e-Transfer, credit/debit cards, and bank wire transfers as well. Additionally, they constantly keep their policies in check in order to ensure that your funds, fiat or crypto, are always safe.
Features
- Allows you to make digital currency purchases through Interac e-Transfers, wire transfers, debit and credit card.
- Has top-notch security features.
Cost
- Monthly fee: CAD 10.95
- Interac e-Transfer fee: Free
- Transactions included per month: 25
- Additional transaction fee: CAD 1.25 per transaction
Best For
People looking for a very crypto-friendly Canadian bank.
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4. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a Canadian multinational financial services corporation founded in 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The company's headquarters are located in Toronto, Ontario, with additional offices in Montreal, Quebec.
The Royal Bank of Canada is the largest bank in the country by market capitalization and serves over 16 million customers, and has 86,000+ employees worldwide. RBC was added to the Financial Stability Board's list of global systemically important banks in November 2017.
This Canadian bank will allow you to buy crypto using Interac e-Transfers and debit cards, but you won't be able to purchase crypto through wire transfers or credit cards, which is unfortunate.
Features
- Allows you to make crypto purchases through debit cards and Interac e-Transfers.
- Great security.
Cost
- Interac e-Transfer fee: CAD 1.00
- Debit card fee: Free
Best For
People looking for a bank with a proven track record.
5. Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank)
Scotiabank is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services business headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada's “Big Five” banks, it is the third-largest Canadian bank both by deposits and by market capitalization. It serves more than 25 million consumers across the world and offers personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking.
It'll allow you to buy crypto using a debit card, Interac e-Transfer and bank transfer, but you'll need to meet a few prerequisites before you're allowed to do so. Additionally, you might have your crypto transactions blocked if you're trying to fund a non-Canadian crypto exchange account.
Features
- Allows you to make crypto purchases through debit cards, wire transfers and Interac e-Transfers.
Cost
- Interac e-Transfer fee: CAD 2.00
- Debit card fee: Free
- Wire transfer fee: CAD 15.00
Best For
People looking for a bank with a proven track record.
6. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) is a multinational banking and financial services business headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The bank is located on Commerce Court in the city's Financial District, and it's one of the two original Big Five banks that have been founded in Toronto.
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was formed on June 1, 1961, by the merger of the Canadian Bank of Commerce (which had been founded in 1867) and the Imperial Bank of Canada (which had been founded in 1873).
The bank will only allow you to make crypto purchases with a debit card, but Interac-e Transfers and bank wire transfers may be two methods coming up in the near future. You might want to be careful when using this bank for crypto-related transactions, however, as some could be blocked if they don't pass an official party verification.
Features
- Allows you to make crypto purchases through a debit card
Cost
- Debit card fee: Free (2.5% administration fee for foreign transactions)
Best For
People looking for a bank with a proven track record.
What To Look For In Canadian Banks That Allow Crypto
When looking for the best bank in Canada that also allows cryptocurrency transactions, you'll need to evaluate a fair amount of features that some of these institutions can offer. Here are some of the characteristics you can consider:
- Security: This is one of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a Canadian bank, and it's especially important whenever you're looking for a crypto-friendly Canadian bank. When considering the security and safety of your bank, consider whether or not it has ever been hacked, or how it keeps your funds safe.
- Fiat To Crypto Support: An additional thing to consider is whether or not you can use crypto directly for paying bills. Ideally, you should look for a bank that allows you to do this, as it makes things so much easier.
- Fees: Another important aspect to consider is how much you'll have to pay for conducting transactions in your Canadian bank, especially if the bank allows you to pay bills with cryptocurrency. If part of your investment returns will be lost just because of the bank you chose to use, then what's the point of having an account with it?
- Supported Cryptocurrencies: One more thing to consider is whether or not the Canadian bank of your choice has support for the crypto you're interested in. Most Canadian banks accept Bitcoin, but of course, Bitcoin isn't the only cryptocurrency out there: the more cryptocurrencies a bank supports, the better.
Best Crypto Exchanges To Pair Canadian Banks With
To buy cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in Canada, you'll need to use one of the many crypto trading platforms available to Canadians. While platforms like Shakepay, Newton and Wealthsimple Crypto are popular and offer good trading platforms, they're either expensive or they have bad customer service, which is why choosing the right exchange is so important.
Here are some of the top crypto exchanges you can use in Canada:
1. Kraken – Best In Canada & Lowest Fees
Best In Canada
|
Total Fees: ~0.16% |
★★★★★ Rated 4.9/5 |
Based in the U.S. and regulated by FINTRAC in Canada, Kraken is undoubtedly the best crypto exchange in Canada. Founded in San Francisco back in 2011, Kraken outperforms the smaller Canadian crypto exchanges due to its significantly lower fees, better customer support, and superior overall trading experience.
For starters, Kraken's fees are far lower than any Canadian exchange, with most users paying 0.16% per transaction (fees decrease down to 0% if you trade high volumes). Kraken's spreads are also absurdly low, typically around $0.10 per Bitcoin, which is 0.0003%. Compare that with the other Canadian exchanges—which routinely charge up to 2% in commissions plus an additional 2% or more in spreads—and it's easy to see why Kraken is such a popular exchange.
Kraken also has better customer support than any other Canadian exchange, and is the only exchange in Canada offering telephone support (available in English, French and Spanish). It supports 100+ cryptocurrencies and has a world-class trading platform and mobile app that's powerful yet easy to use.
If that wasn't enough, Kraken's trading platform is far more professional and robust than its Canadian peers, offering features like NFT trading, staking and support for a wide range of fiat currencies including CAD, USD, EUR, and more.
Other Canadian exchanges like CoinSmart, VirgoCX and Bitbuy offer lucrative signup bonuses (click those links to claim them), but keep in mind that you pay for those bonuses down the road in the form of higher fees. Kraken, on the other hand, offers rock-bottom fees from day one.
Overall, Kraken is the best fit for most Canadian crypto investors because it has lower fees, better support and a better trading platform overall. If you're looking to start trading crypto in Canada, we strongly recommend Kraken.
Features
- Extremely low trading commissions (0.16%)
- Extremely low spreads (0.0003%)
- Trade 100+ cryptocurrencies
- Stake 100+ cryptocurrencies
- Simple, intuitive user interface
- Kraken Crypto Watch allows you to keep track of the crypto market
- NFT trading inside the Kraken app
- 24/7 customer support via phone, email and live chat
- Plenty of free educational resources available to users
- 95% cold storage policy
- Regulated by FINTRAC
Cost
- Trading Fees: 0.16% (spot trades cost 0.26%)
- Spreads: 0.0003%
- Fiat Deposit Fee: 0%
- Fiat Withdrawal Fee: $10 CAD
Best For
Canadian cryptocurrency investors looking to trade with the industry's lowest fees.
2. VirgoCX – $20 Signup Bonus
#2 In Canada
|
Total Fees: ~3.2% |
★★★★★ Rated 4.7/5 |
VirgoCX doesn't charge any trading fees, deposit fees or withdrawal fees—yet its extremely high spreads make it one of the more expensive crypto exchanges in Canada. Those spreads are generally around 3.2%, which means you pay 20x the fees as you would trading with Kraken, which is absurd.
Aside from the high fees, though, VirgoCX is a great exchange. Its trading platform and mobile app are intuitive and easy to use (even for beginners), it supports 50+ cryptocurrencies, and it offers 24/7 customer support via live chat and email, plus an extensive FAQ section on its site.
VirgoCX covers the first $6 in mining fees on crypto withdrawals, which means you generally won't pay anything to withdraw crypto. For security, VirgoCX maintains a 95% cold storage policy and requires 2-factor authentication on all accounts.
As a new VirgoCX user, you'll receive a $20 bonus upon funding your account with $100 or more.
If working with an easy to use platform is important to you, VirgoCX is a solid choice.
Features
- Supports 50+ cryptocurrencies
- Free fiat deposits and withdrawals
- Free deposits and withdrawals on most cryptocurrencies
- 24/7 support available via live chat and email
- User-friendly for both beginners and more advanced traders
- 95% cold storage policy
- Regulated by FINTRAC
Cost
- Trading Fees: 0%
- Spreads: 2% – 3.5%
- Fiat Deposit Fee: 0%
- Fiat Withdrawal Fee: 0%
Signup Bonus
$20 when you fund your account with $100 or more using this link.
Best For
Crypto investors who can't sign up with Kraken.
3. Newton – $25 Signup Bonus
#3 In Canada
|
Total Fees: ~2% |
★★★★★ Rated 4.2/5 |
Newton stands out from other Canadian crypto exchanges through the excellent design of its website and mobile apps. It supports 75+ cryptocurrencies, including some that other Canadian exchanges don't offer, so alongside Kraken, Newton may be a good fit for altcoin investors.
However, Newton's spreads are high, with total fees of around 2-3%. Like VirgoCX, this makes Newton less appealing than Kraken, which charges significantly less than both of them.
Newton requires you to directly link a bank account to deposit money into your account, which helps reduce the risk of fraud, but may also rub some users the wrong way. It maintains a 95% cold storage policy and offers customer support daily from 9am – midnight EST via email and in-app chat.
Overall, Newton is a solid pick for investors looking to trade altcoins inside a well-designed app.
Features
- Free fiat deposits and withdrawals
- Free deposits and withdrawals on most cryptocurrencies
- Well-rated mobile app (4.6/5 on iPhone, 4.4/5 on Android)
- Supports 75+ cryptocurrencies
- 95% cold storage policy
- Regulated by FINTRAC
Cost
- Trading Fees: 0%
- Spreads: 2% – 3%
- Fiat Deposit Fee: 0%
- Fiat Withdrawal Fee: 0%
Signup Bonus
$25 free when you sign up using this link.
Best For
Crypto investors interested in trading a wide variety of altcoins.
In Summary
Some banks are putting up roadblocks that prevent Canadians from buying digital currencies, even though crypto transactions are becoming increasingly common and it is now easier to purchase crypto than ever. That's why it's important to choose a bank that supports crypto and has no history of shutting down accounts due to cryptocurrency activity.
Regardless of the bank you choose, though, you'll need to pair your account with a reliable cryptocurrency exchange for buying and selling cryptocurrencies. Kraken is our #1-ranked exchange, and with its current $50 signup bonus available until September 28, 2023, we can't recommend Kraken highly enough.
