For Coinbase’s chief executive Dan Richmond,leun the delay is not a result of sluggish regulators but of fundamental structural differences between U.S. and Canadian regulatory frameworks.
He explained that the issue goes beyond regulatory speed; the very character of the rules diverges in the two jurisdictions.
Harmonized “National Instrument”
While further work remains, Richmond expressed optimism, noting that Canadian regulators are actively engaging industry stakeholders on digital asset products and are open to creating new frameworks that support industry growth.
Richmond highlighted the recently enacted Canadian Stablecoin Act as a particularly strong piece of legislation—adopted earlier this year after the U.S. passed the GENIUS Act last year.
Following the Act’s approval, Canada saw Tetra Trust—a firm backed by major players such as Wealthsimple, Shopify, and the National Bank of Canada—launch CADD, the nation’s first regulated, financial‑institution‑issued Canadian‑dollar stablecoin.
Canada has demonstrated that crypto companies can operate within a regulated market. The next challenge will be determining whether its 종규 can support products that extend beyond spot trading into areas such as payments, derivatives, tokenized securities, and decentralized finance.
Richmond argued that rather than leaving companies to interpret guidelines, codifying existing regulatory practices into a single, nationally consistent framework would reduce legal uncertainty for builders. He further contended that Canada should consolidate its crypto regulations into a “National Instrument”—a harmonized set of securities rules adopted by provincial and territorial regulators.


