Bitget Tightens Canadian Access After CSA Guidance on Stablecoin Custody

What changed for Canadian users

According to the source article, Bitget notified Canadian IP addresses on Jan. 12, 2026 that it would no longer offer new or expanded services in the country. Since then, the exchange has stopped accepting new Canadian KYC applications, meaning new users cannot sign up.

The article says Interac and bank wire funding have also been disabled for Canadian accounts. Existing positions have been switched to reduce-only mode, which allows users to cut or close exposure but not open fresh trades. Canadian users were also removed from Bitget Earn pools, while withdrawals to external wallets continue to function for now.

Bitget is also force-closing open positions over a 90-day period, according to the report. Taken together, the steps amount to a phased wind-down of key account functions rather than a full immediate cutoff.

Regulatory backdrop

The source attributes the move to updated CSA guidance around stablecoin custody. It says the practical effect of that guidance was that Bitget became geofenced from offering new or expanded services to Canadian residents.

The article further says that continuing to serve the market fully would likely have required Bitget to register as a FINTRAC Money Services Business and complete a Pre-Registration Undertaking process with the Ontario Securities Commission and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. It describes that route as slow and costly, and says it would also require segregation of Canadian client funds from global operations.

The source does not cite a direct public statement from regulators in the extracted text, and it frames the registration rationale as the apparent core issue rather than a confirmed explanation from Bitget.

How the restrictions affect current accounts

For existing Canadian users, the immediate consequences are operational. They can still withdraw to external wallets, but they cannot add funds through Interac or bank wires, and they cannot open new positions. Any remaining trades are subject to a 90-day force-close timeline that began after the Jan. 12 notice, the article says.

That means users who still hold open positions face a deadline-driven unwind. The ability to use reduce-only orders provides a way to manage or exit exposure, but not to continue trading normally.

The source article also says Canadian users have been removed from Bitget Earn products, narrowing activity further beyond spot or derivatives trading.

BTCC presented as an alternative

Much of the source article contrasts Bitget’s curtailed Canadian access with BTCC, which it says had no observed restriction for Canadian availability in mid-2026. The piece describes BTCC as a futures-focused exchange with more than 12 million registered users, over 400 futures pairs, over 380 spot pairs and maximum leverage of up to 250x.

By comparison, the source lists Bitget at 120 million-plus users, more than 840 futures pairs and more than 840 spot pairs, with leverage up to 125x. It also says both platforms offer copy trading and liquidation protection features, while BTCC includes demo trading with a $100,000 virtual balance.

The article presents BTCC as stronger on leverage and, for taker orders, slightly lower futures trading fees in some cases, while Bitget is described as broader in coin selection and stronger in staking options. It also claims both exchanges have had no hacks, and lists proof-of-reserves figures of 147% for BTCC and 175% for Bitget.

The comparison in the source is promotional in part, but the central news point is narrower: Bitget’s Canadian service has been restricted since January 2026, with withdrawals still available and open positions being wound down on a fixed timeline.