Canada's Stablecoin Act and the First Regulated CAD Stablecoin
The Stablecoin Act Gets Royal Assent
Canada's Stablecoin Act received royal assent on March 26, 2026, giving the Bank of Canada a formal mandate to supervise stablecoin issuers operating in the country. A full operational framework — covering reserve requirements, redemption rights and reporting — is targeted for 2027, so 2026 is a transition year rather than a finished regime.
The groundwork for a product built on that framework was already underway. Calgary-based Tetra Digital Group raised $10 million in September 2025 to build a Canadian-dollar stablecoin, and by December 2025 had run a testnet transfer between two financial institutions, National Bank of Canada and Wealthsimple, the first time a Canadian stablecoin had moved between two banks in a live test.
CADD Launches: Canada's First Regulated Digital Dollar
That work became a live product on May 4, 2026, when Tetra Trust Company, operating through its agent CAD Digital Inc., launched CADD, a payment stablecoin backed 1:1 by Canadian dollars held in trust and dedicated solely to redemption. It's the first CAD-backed stablecoin issued by a regulated financial institution rather than a crypto-native startup, and the backer list reflects that: National Bank of Canada and Shopify are the most recognizable names, alongside Wealthsimple, Purpose Unlimited, Shakepay, ATB Financial and Urbana Corporation.
CADD runs on Base, Ethereum and Tempo at launch, with Solana support expected to follow. The stated use case is institutional first, 24/7 cross-border settlement and corporate treasury transfers that replace slower batch payment systems, not retail spending or casino cashiers. Here is the sequence from funding to launch:
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 2025 | Tetra Digital Group raises $10 million to build a Canadian-dollar stablecoin |
| December 2025 | CADD testnet transfer between National Bank of Canada and Wealthsimple, a first for a Canadian stablecoin |
| March 26, 2026 | Stablecoin Act receives royal assent; Bank of Canada given supervisory mandate over issuers |
| May 4, 2026 | CADD launches publicly, issued by Tetra Trust via CAD Digital Inc., backed by National Bank of Canada and Shopify among others |
| 2027 (targeted) | Full Bank of Canada framework, reserves, redemption rights, reporting, takes effect |
Source: Tetra Digital Group via Businesswire; CoinDesk; Lexology; CryptoSlate.
Why Stablecoins Matter at the Cashier
Stablecoins are already the workhorse of the crypto casino cashier, and CADD's arrival is worth watching for one specific reason: it's the first option denominated in the currency a Canadian player's bank account already uses. Depositing or withdrawing in USDT or USDC still means converting to and from U.S.-dollar-pegged value at some point, and that's where a Canadian player can lose a little to spread or fees on either side of the trade. A CAD-denominated stablecoin, if casinos and payment processors ever adopt it, removes that USD leg entirely.
It's worth being precise about what CADD is not, too. It isn't a new cryptocurrency competing for casino market share the way, say, a new altcoin might; it's a tokenized version of the Canadian dollar itself, redeemable 1:1 for cash held in trust. That structure is closer to a regulated e-money product than to Bitcoin or Ethereum, which is exactly why the Bank of Canada's supervisory mandate matters here in a way it doesn't for most crypto assets. A casino that eventually lists CADD would, in effect, be adding a bank-grade CAD rail next to its existing crypto rails, not just another token.
| Asset | Casinos accepting it (of 51 we track) | Peg | What it means for a Canadian player |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDT | 38 of 51 | U.S. dollar | The default stablecoin at the cashier; still needs a USD-to-CAD conversion step |
| TRX (Tron) | 19 of 51 | Unpegged, Tron's native token, commonly used as a low-fee network for moving USDT | A minority option, more relevant as a cheap rail than a store of value |
| CADD | 0 of 51 | Canadian dollar, 1:1, held in trust | Not yet listed at any casino we track, still a bank/fintech product, not a cashier option |
Source: our tracked database of 51 crypto casinos, September 2026 — see how we rate.
Adoption Hasn't Caught Up
CADD is new, institutional-first, and casino cashiers move slowly even for stablecoins that have been around for years. Every operator in our tracked list still runs the standard menu: Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and USDC. None list CADD as a deposit or withdrawal option, and given its current focus on bank-to-bank settlement rather than consumer wallets, that's unlikely to change quickly.
USDT remains the practical default, 38 of 51 casinos we track accept it, more than any other single stablecoin- CADD launched May 4, 2026 but isn't listed at any casino cashier we cover as of this writing
- Full Bank of Canada oversight of stablecoin issuers is targeted for 2027, not yet in force
What It Means for Canadian Players
For now, treat this as a payments story to watch rather than a change to how you fund an account today. USDT stays the practical default for Canadian crypto casino players, it's supported at the large majority of operators we track and settles fast on-chain no matter where the issuer is based.
If CAD-denominated stablecoins do get picked up by casino payment processors over the next year or two, the appeal for a Canadian player is straightforward: fewer conversion steps between a bank account and a casino balance, and clearer regulatory footing once the Bank of Canada's 2027 framework is fully in force. We'll be watching whether any operator we track adds CADD once the infrastructure catches up to the institutional launch. Until then, our USDT casinos page and broader payment methods guide cover what's actually available now.
Sources
- Lexology
- CryptoSlate
- Crypto Council for Innovation
- CoinDesk — Canada's first regulated digital dollar
- Businesswire — Tetra Digital Group launches CADD