Crypto Custody Rules Take Shape As Canada’s Investment Watchdog Acts

Canada’s main investment watchdog has moved quickly to set new rules for how crypto held on trading sites must be kept and overseen.

Reports say the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) published an interim Digital Asset Custody Framework this week, putting clear limits and checks on where client crypto can be stored and who can hold it.

Crypto Custody Comes With A 4-Tier Test

According to CIRO’s notice, custodians will be sorted into four tiers based on capital, insurance, and operational safeguards.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 providers that meet higher standards may hold up to 100% of a Dealer Member’s client crypto, while Tier 3 custodians face a lower ceiling and Tier 4 is capped at 40%.

Dealer Members that choose to keep assets themselves are limited to holding 20% of client assets under strict conditions. This tiered system is meant to force platforms to spread risk and avoid overexposure to weaker custodians.

Strengthened Controls And Reporting Rules

Reports note the guidance puts new demands on governance, cyber security, insurance, third-party risk checks and audit oversight. Custody agreements must be clear about who is responsible if assets are lost or stolen.

CIRO says the measures are temporary but binding, applied through membership conditions so they take effect right away while longer-term rules are prepared.

The move reflects a push to prevent repeat failures that left investors out of pocket in past Canadian crypto collapses.

What This Means For Platforms And Clients

Smaller platforms that relied on cheap or lightly regulated custody arrangements will now face a choice: upgrade their links to higher tier custodians or scale back how much they hold in-house.

That will cost money. It will also force more active oversight from regulators because compliance documents and proof of insurance will be part of what CIRO reviews.

Some platforms may consolidate custody with larger firms; others may change business models to keep trading services running.

Custody Caps Aim To Limit Concentration Risk

The limits on concentration are straightforward. They are meant to stop a single weak custodian from holding a huge slice of client assets across many platforms.

Reports say CIRO is applying the rules immediately, using membership terms to ensure fast effect while regulators build a fuller rulebook.

That means firms operating crypto-asset trading platforms should expect CIRO to ask for documents and proof of adherence in short order.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView