What the OSC’s crypto survey signals about Canada’s next phase of digital asset adoption

The headline numbers from the Ontario Securities Commission’s survey show broader crypto participation: higher awareness, higher ownership, and stronger stated purchase intent.

The OSC’s July 2026 release found that 59% of Canadians are aware of crypto assets and that ownership has increased to 25%. The survey, based on 2,360 Canadians, also found that 38% of Canadians who are aware of crypto assets said they were highly likely to purchase them in the future, up 18 percentage points from 2023.

Those figures suggest crypto is moving further into the Canadian financial mainstream. They also reinforce a more practical takeaway: as crypto ownership broadens, platform due diligence may become increasingly important.

For smaller transactions, users may focus more on ease of use, asset availability, and fees. But for larger transactions, the evaluation may expand to include regulatory status, liquidity access, execution process, custody model, settlement workflow, reporting, account controls, and post-trade support.

• The OSC survey suggests that Canadian crypto ownership is no longer confined to a narrow early-adopter segment.
• Awareness, ownership, and stated purchase intent have all increased, while more crypto owners are checking whether a platform is registered before using it.
• For higher-balance clients, the key takeaway is not simply that crypto adoption is growing. It is that execution, custody, reporting, and platform due diligence may become more important as crypto becomes a more common part of portfolio, treasury, and wealth-management conversations.
• A larger crypto market does not by itself reduce platform risk. It can increase the importance of venue selection, liquidity review, custody due diligence, settlement process, regulatory controls, and post-trade documentation.
• For OTC clients, the platform decision may warrant review before capital moves, not after execution is complete.

The OSC survey indicates that Canadian crypto participation has moved beyond its earlier early-adopter status. Ownership has more than doubled from 10% in 2023 to 25%, while awareness and stated purchase intent have also increased.

It is important to discuss what these figures do not mean. Higher adoption rates do not imply that the risk profile has eased over the years. They do not automatically indicate stronger investor understanding, better custody practices, cleaner execution, tighter spreads, or more consistent platform standards.

In fact, broader participation can increase the importance of these factors because more users and more capital may move through trading venues, wallets, custodians, and intermediaries.

The OSC release also notes that crypto owners are becoming more informed about investor protection measures. Half of crypto owners reported checking whether their crypto asset trading platform was registered before using it, up from 38% in 2023.

Ndax Wealth supports OTC crypto execution for larger Canadian transactions starting at C$25,000. Ndax is a regulated crypto trading platform registered as an Investment Dealer under Canadian securities legislation in all provinces and territories. Ndax is also a CIRO member firm and operates on an Order Execution Only basis. Ndax does not provide investment advice or recommendations. Clients decide when and what to trade.

For OTC clients, this can change the evaluation process. Registration is not simply a marketing detail. It is part of the operating environment behind the trade.

A platform’s regulatory status is more than a marketing claim. It helps define the framework around account opening, disclosures, custody expectations, fiat handling, supervision, complaints, recordkeeping, compliance controls, and ongoing oversight.

This means users looking for assistance in placing large trades may want to understand more than just “Can the platform execute my order?” Another relevant question is: “What framework governs the platform before, during, and after it executes my order?”

Platform registration may be reviewed before funds are transferred. Registration can be considered alongside liquidity, pricing, settlement, custody destination, account documentation, and internal approval requirements.

The OSC survey also suggests crypto is becoming more common in advice relationships. Wealth Professional reported that 22% of crypto owners sought information from a financial advisor before buying, compared with 13% in 2023.

It also reported that among investors who work with an advisor, 39% said their advisor had recommended allocating at least a small portion of a portfolio to crypto assets, nearly double the 2023 figure.

This does not mean crypto is suitable for every investor. Nor does it mean advisors are broadly recommending crypto exposure. It does suggest that crypto is increasingly becoming part of formal financial-planning, allocation, and portfolio-construction discussions.

Once crypto becomes part of a discussion involving advisors, accountants, family-office administrators, corporate finance teams, or investment committees, the platform requirements may become more demanding. The client may need funding records, execution documentation, trade confirmations, transaction history, custody information, reporting exports, and support that can address larger-account operational requirements.

The survey also reinforces the importance of centralized platforms in Canada’s crypto market structure. Fifty-nine percent of crypto owners acquired crypto through trading platforms, compared with 18% through decentralized exchanges.

That means platform evaluation may extend beyond the user interface, asset list, or headline fees. The venue can also be reviewed as execution infrastructure. Larger clients may assess how the platform handles order flow, liquidity access, settlement, account records, fiat deposits and withdrawals, custody model, crypto withdrawals, and support escalation.

The selection process is not just a comparison between centralized and decentralized venues. Rather, it can include whether the execution venue has the structure and controls to support the size, purpose, and documentation requirements of the transaction.

The OSC survey need not be viewed only as a retail-adoption report. It also suggests that the Canadian crypto market is segmenting. According to the survey, some users have only recently made their first crypto purchase. Some are active traders, some are discussing crypto with advisors, and some are exploring stablecoins or tokenized assets.

Some are allocating larger amounts and may require a more structured process.

For a smaller purchase, a user may prioritize simple onboarding, supported assets, basic education, the lowest advertised rate, and other factors. But for a C$25,000, C$100,000, or larger transaction, the evaluation process may look different. Users may consider funding readiness, liquidity access, price formation, spreads, slippage, settlement timing, custody destination, withdrawal planning, account records, and post-trade documentation.

OTC execution may become relevant when transaction size, timing, discretion, or settlement requirements exceed the needs of a standard retail workflow.

Crypto risk is often discussed through the asset: volatility, drawdowns, liquidity, concentration, macro sensitivity, network risk, and regulatory change. For larger clients, the execution venue can also form part of the risk stack.

The platform decision affects how capital enters the market, how orders are handled, how assets are held, how fiat is treated, how records are produced, how withdrawals are processed, and what operating framework applies if something needs review.

For direct crypto exposure, the client’s due diligence may include:

• regulatory status
• operating model
• custody framework
• fiat treatment
• eligible protections and exclusions
• liquidity access
• execution process
• settlement workflow
• withdrawal support
• reporting and transaction records
• account controls
• support structure
• OTC process, if transaction size warrants it

For clients who have already decided that direct crypto exposure belongs in their portfolio, treasury, or broader financial strategy, execution infrastructure becomes part of implementation.

Ndax Wealth provides OTC crypto execution for larger Canadian transactions starting at C$25,000. The service is positioned for clients who want a defined execution process, discretion, and greater control around larger trades.

Ndax’s role should be understood clearly. Ndax provides execution infrastructure through a regulated Canadian crypto trading platform. It does not provide investment advice or recommendations. It does not replace the client’s advisor, accountant, board, investment committee, tax professional, or internal governance process. Clients decide when and what to trade.

The OSC survey indicates that crypto awareness and ownership are increasing in Canada. For larger or more sophisticated market participants, this may suggest that crypto is becoming common enough to require a more detailed level of platform due diligence.

Still, a larger and more active market does not reduce the need for execution discipline. It can increase its importance.

Before placing a larger trade, users may want to understand the platform’s registration status, operating model, custody framework, fiat treatment, available protections, execution process, settlement workflow, reporting capabilities, and support structure.

At Ndax Wealth, we believe that while crypto adoption in Canada is broadening, the infrastructure used to access it should be evaluated accordingly.