Crypto ownership among Canadians has climbed to 25%, according to a new survey commissioned by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), more than double the 10% ownership rate the regulator recorded in 2023. The survey polled 2,360 adults aged 18 and older between December 2025 and January 2026, offering one of the clearest recent snapshots of how mainstream digital asset adoption has become in Canada's largest province.
Awareness of crypto assets was even more widespread than ownership, with 59% of respondents saying they had at least heard of cryptocurrencies. Among those who already owned crypto, half — 50% — said they had checked whether the platform they used was registered with securities regulators before trading, a figure the OSC is using to gauge how much of its investor-protection messaging is actually reaching the public.
Rising Ownership, Uneven Understanding
The OSC's findings point to a gap between adoption and comprehension. While more Canadians than ever hold digital assets, the survey found many still carry misconceptions about how those holdings are regulated — including confusion over what insurance protections, if any, apply to crypto held on exchanges, and misunderstandings about which platforms can legally serve Canadian customers.
Naizam Kanji, the OSC's executive vice president of strategic regulation, framed the results as evidence of a fast-moving market rather than a settled one. "Crypto markets continue to evolve, and Canadians are participating in them more than ever before," Kanji said, adding that the research helps the regulator "anticipate potential opportunities and risks" while shaping a regulatory approach meant to protect investors without stifling fair, efficient markets.
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A Tightening Federal Backdrop
The survey lands against a backdrop of tightening federal scrutiny. In April 2026, Canada's federal government advanced legislation that could ban cryptocurrency donations to political campaigns, part of a broader push to close perceived gaps in how digital assets intersect with campaign finance rules. Separately, regulators have floated restrictions on digital asset ATMs, citing concerns about their use in fraud schemes and money laundering.
Taken together, the rising ownership figures and the harder regulatory line suggest Canadian policymakers are moving to formalize oversight of a market that, by the OSC's own numbers, now touches roughly one in four adults in the province.
