bitbuy review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Bitbuy suits Canadian buyers who want a regulated, custodial home for a limited set of tokens plus some staking income, with yield running 1.34% to 13.43% across the assets it supports. Trading is cheap and funding runs through bank, but a coin list of 57 will not satisfy people chasing long-tail assets.
Key facts
- Best for
- Taker fees of 0% with bank deposits and staking on coins you already hold.
- Taker fee
- 0%↗
- Coins listed
- 57↗
- Regulators
- Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Ontario Securities Commission, Canadian Securities Administrators, FINTRAC↗
- Fiat deposit methods
- Bank↗
- Maker fee
- 0%↗
- Proof of reserves
- Yes↗
- Withdrawal fee
- Crypto withdrawal fees are dynamic network fees (BTC from 0.0006, ETH from 0.005); many coins free (XRP, LTC, BCH, XLM, DASH, NEAR, ATOM, AVAX, HBAR, ALGO, BNB, HYPE); CAD withdrawals 0% Interac e-Transfer, 1.5% direct bank deposit or wire↗
- Derivatives
- No↗
- Exchange type
- Cex↗
- Legal entity
- Coinsquare Capital Markets Ltd (CCML)↗
- Headquarters
- Canada↗
- Founded
- 2016↗
- Support channels
- Help-centre↗
- Features
- Custodial, Staking
- Official website
- bitbuy.ca
Crypto earn
- Yield
- 1.34% to 13.43%↗
- Supported assets
- SOL, ETH, POL, DOT, ADA, NEAR, ATOM, INJ, TIA↗
- Lock-up terms
- No fixed lock-up; unstake anytime subject to each network's unbonding period (bonding 1 min to 32 days, unbonding up to 28 days)↗
- Custody
- Custodial↗
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 6 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- LinkedInXyoutube.com
Pros and cons
Pros
- Regulated by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Ontario Securities Commission and Canadian Securities Administrators, with a FINTRAC registration and published proof of reserves.
- CAD withdrawals are free over Interac e-Transfer, and many coins cost nothing to withdraw.
- No fixed lock-up on staking: unstake whenever you like, subject to each network's unbonding period.
- Operating since 2016 as Coinsquare Capital Markets Ltd (CCML), a custodial exchange based in Canada.
Cons
- Only 57 coins listed, against from 650 at Bitpanda, so much of the long tail is missing.
- Support runs through help centre only.
- Derivatives are not offered, and fiat deposits are limited to bank.
Who it suits
- Canadian buyers funding an account with a bank transfer who want to hold rather than trade actively.
- Holders of the assets in SOL, ETH and POL who want staking yield on a custodial balance.
- People who put weight on published proof of reserves and a Canadian regulator.
Who should look elsewhere
- Bitpanda, for anyone who needs a long coin list, since it lists from 650.
- bunq, for traders comfortable paying a taker fee of 0.25% to 1.99% rather than 0%.
Safety and regulation
Regulated in Canada by Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Ontario Securities Commission and Canadian Securities Administrators, Bitbuy publishes proof of reserves, so account holders can check the exchange holds the coins it reports. It also holds a FINTRAC registration, 160292, which places money services oversight alongside the securities regulators above it. That registration covers the money services side of the business rather than the trading side.
How bitbuy compares
9.3 vs 9.5- 9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.7ActivTrades lists 9 coins, a fraction of Bitbuy's 57.
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.6
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.9
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.2
9.3 vs 8.2
9.3 vs 9.7
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 8.6
Where bitbuy is available
- Available
- Canada
- Licence in Canada
- Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Canada
- Ontario Securities Commission, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Canada
- Canadian Securities Administrators, checked September 26, 2026
- Licence in Canada
- FINTRAC (160292), checked September 26, 2026
Countries from the brand (checked September 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What does it cost to trade on Bitbuy?+
Taker fees are 0% and maker fees are 0%, so spot trading itself adds no commission. The costs that remain sit in withdrawals: crypto withdrawal charges are dynamic network fees, with Bitcoin and Ethereum starting from small fixed amounts, and CAD withdrawals are free over Interac e-Transfer but charge a percentage on direct bank deposit or wire.
What do I earn on staking, and am I locked in?+
Staking yield runs 1.34% to 13.43% depending on the coin, and the supported list covers SOL, ETH and POL. There is no fixed lock-up: you can unstake whenever you like, subject to each network's own unbonding period, so the pace of your exit is set by the chain rather than by the exchange.
How safe is the money on a Bitbuy account?+
Bitbuy is registered with Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Ontario Securities Commission and Canadian Securities Administrators and its FINTRAC registration is 160292. It also publishes proof of reserves, giving account holders a published check on the coins held for them. Custody is custodial, so the exchange holds the coins on the account rather than placing them in a wallet you control.
How do I deposit and withdraw Canadian dollars?+
Fiat deposits run through bank. Withdrawals in CAD are free over Interac e-Transfer, while direct bank deposit or wire carries a percentage fee. Crypto withdrawals use dynamic network fees, so the cost of moving a coin off the exchange depends on what the network is charging at the time.
How many coins can I trade on Bitbuy?+
The exchange lists 57 coins, under the 60 median for the buy crypto category and far below from 650 coins at Bitpanda. Mainstream names are covered, while anyone hunting the long tail should look elsewhere.
Who is Bitbuy built for?+
Bitbuy is built for Canadian buyers who fund the account with a bank transfer, trade at 0% in taker fees and want staking on the coins they already hold. It suits people who would rather earn on a balance than run an active trading strategy.
Does Bitbuy offer derivatives, and who holds my coins?+
Derivatives are not offered. Custody is custodial, so the exchange holds your coins and the account model is custodial rather than self-custody. Support runs through help centre, so questions are answered in writing rather than by phone or live chat.
Sources
- bitbuy.ca checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Coins listed, Derivatives, Features, Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity, Support channels
“Bitcoin BTC Ethereum ETH USD Coin USDC ... Zcash ZEC Hyperliquid HYPE”
- bitbuy.ca/en-ca/fees checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Fiat deposit methods, Maker fee, Taker fee, Withdrawal fee
“CAD deposits: Interac e-Transfer 0%, Wire transfer 0%, Direct bank deposits”
- bitbuy.ca/en-ca/proof-of-reserves checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Proof of reserves
“Bitbuy is proud to have been the first Canadian platform to publicly issue a Proof of Reserves in 2019, and we are proud to continue to release them yearly.”
- bitbuy.ca/en-ca/staking checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Supported assets, Custody, Lock-up terms, Yield
“Solana (SOL), Ethereum (ETH), Polkadot (DOT), Polygon (MATIC), Cardano (ADA), NEAR Protocol (NEAR), Cosmos (ATOM), Injective (INJ) and Celestia (TIA) are currently available to stake on Bitbuy.”
- bitbuy.ca/legal/ccml-caa checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Exchange type
“You hereby appoint us to act as the custodian of the Digital Assets purchased by you ... held in trust by us for your benefit”
- ciro.ca/office-investor/dealers-we-regulate checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Regulators, Licences
Compiled from 9 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
bitbuy
Taker fees of 0% with bank deposits and staking on coins you already hold.