How to Buy Bitcoin in Canada

Bitbuy is a popular Canadian made and operated exchange registered with FINTRAC and offering Bitcoin and 6 other cryptocurrencies. Located in the heart of Toronto's financial district, Bitbuy is the leading Canadian cryptocurrency platform and also the only Canadian exchange to offer 1:1 Bitcoin insurance. Bitbuy is suited for both beginners (with their 'Express Trade' feature) and more advanced traders (with their 'Pro Trade' feature). Bitbuy also has an OTC desk available for those wanting to invest large amounts as well as for corporations to get into Bitcoin..

Bitbuy ensures its users' cybersecurity by leveraging advanced technologies and best practices like 2FA authentication, regulatory and SOC compliance, a strong in-app wallet, and regular proof-of-reserve audits.

ShakePay is a mobile crypto exchange and peer-to-peer wallet that is only available in Canada. It offers easy signup, a clean interface, and great customer service. Shakepay has also received a license as a Money Service Business from Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).

Shakepay claims that the majority of their assets are in offline cold wallets. All communication between the apps and Shakepay’s servers are made through Secure Socket Layer connections. The servers themselves use AES-256 to encrypt customer data.

Canadian Bitcoins is a brokerage service that is designed to handle the buying and selling of Bitcoin within Canada. Registration is a simple process, the interface is clean, and the site has been operating for over 7 years.

Canadian Bitcoins is a trusted site based on user feedback.

Coinbase is one of the most popular digital currency exchanges, based in the U.S and boasting over 43 million users. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the platform offers both an all-in-one exchange and a wallet, making it one of the easiest starting points with Bitcoin. Coinbase’s wallet and merchant services, which have won the trust of over 43 million users, have their payment platform integrated with more than 48,000 businesses worldwide.

Coinbase is one of the world’s largest bitcoin exchanges and also considered to be one of the safest. Coinbase is a regulated company and holds licenses in all districts in which it operates. It is also a VC backed company with over $100 million in funding. Cash held in Coinbase wallets is FDIC insured up to $250,000.

Within 8 months of launching in July 2017, Binance quickly skyrocketed into the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, processing more than $1 billion on a daily basis. It’s rise to popularity can be attributed to the impressive number of cryptocurrencies they offer, professional attitude, friendly and transparent CEO, and low trading fees.

Binance is considered a safe cryptocurrency exchange. Binance provides 2-factor authentication and offers both multi signature wallets and cold storage options.

Gemini is a digital asset exchange and custodian, founded in 2014 by brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, that allows customers to buy, sell, and store digital assets such as bitcoin and ether. Gemini is regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS) and also the first exchange to launch bitcoin futures contracts in December 2017.

Gemini is considered to be one of the most secure cryptocurrency exchanges on the market. Gemini is governed by the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and complies with anti-money laundering (AML) rules. Client deposits are eligible for Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance coverage and the company is also heavily capitalized to protect the digital currency you store offline

Coinmama is a leading cryptocurrency exchange that allows you to buy and sell bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with a credit card and/or bank transfers. Since its foundation in 2013, it has grown to serve over 2 million customers across 188 countries and today has over 40 employees. Coinmama is a really simple exchange, which makes a perfect platform for safe, secure and quick transactions.

Coinmama is considered a reputable platform for bitcoin purchases.

With millions of active users, an international market, and strategic investors on board, Kraken, joins Coinbase and Binance to become the big three cryptocurrency exchanges in the global market. Kraken provides cryptocurrency to fiat trading and provides price information to Bloomberg Terminal. In February 2019, Kraken announced that it had raised $100 million in a direct offering to its largest customers at a $4 billion valuation.

Kraken is considered one of the safest bitcoin exchanges around. The platform provides cryptography-verified proof of reserve audits. These audits verify the total amount of cryptocurrency held by Kraken. The company appears to be well-capitalized and very safe to use.

Paxful works as a peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading platform. Established in 2014, the peer-to-peer marketplace allows buyers and sellers to interact by posting trade offers. Users can choose to make purchases using PayPal, MoneyGram, Amazon/iTunes gift cards and many more payment methods.

Funds are held in escrow by Paxful until both parties confirm all components of the transaction.

LocalBitcoins works as a decentralized exchange, facilitating P2P (peer-to-peer) Bitcoin sales by allowing users to list their own buy/sell advertisements. By using the site users can create and list advertisements, communicate with prospective buyers and sellers and confirm all the transaction details before finalizing any trade. Users can either meet in person or trade online. LocalBitcoins allows for private purchases and can be used worldwide; it also allows users to make purchases via a number of different payment methods and doesn’t impose buying or selling limits.

LocalBitcoins has a strong reputation for being reliable and safe to use. Security-enhancing features like two-factor authentication (2FA), Login Guard, support staff, and a feedback-driven reputation system all contribute to the safety and security for users. Also, the fact that all online trades are protected by escrow.

Changelly allows one to exchange one cryptocurrency for another and also buy using a bank card. All this is done through a convenient and clean user-interface and a quick registration via email or social media account. Changelly’s conversion mechanism is integrated into some of the biggest cryptocurrency platforms such as Poloniex, Bittrex, and Binance. There are no geographical restrictions to the service that Changelly provides, so it can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Changelly offers two-factor authentication and an HTTPS security protocol. No user funds are stored by Changelly as all coins sent are processed to be exchanged and transferred to user wallets.