CSA releases guidance on crypto disclosure

Canadian securities regulators issued guidance on cryptoasset reporting issuers’ disclosure requirements on Thursday.

In a release, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) noted that most reporting issuers dealing in cryptoassets entered the market in 2017 and 2018, meaning their first disclosure documents were released in 2019. The new CSA guidance is based on regulators’ reviews those annual reports.

“This guidance is meant to support crypto asset reporting issuers in providing the information necessary for investors to make informed investment decisions,” said said Louis Morisset, CSA chair and president and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers, in a release.

Cryptoassets may include cryptocurrencies, tokens, stablecoins and similar digital assets relayed on blockchain technology, according to the CSA.

The notice includes disclosure expectations on a number of areas, including the safeguarding of cryptoassets, the use of cryptoasset trading platforms, risk factors, material changes and promotional activities.

Regulators also provided guidance to cryptoasset issuers on navigating certain complex accounting and disclosure issues around cryptocurrencies specifically. In its note, the CSA said “issuers should monitor and carefully consider any guidance published by accounting standard setters and regulatory bodies.”

In 2019, the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Interpretations Committee directed cryptoasset entities to disclose information relevant to the understanding of their financial statements, such as accounting policies for classification and measurement, as well as the nature of the different types of cryptocurrencies.

The CSA report also provided statistics about the reporting cryptoasset issuers.

As of Dec. 31, 2020, 20% of cryptoasset reporting issuers were engaged in mining activities, while 11% were investment entities. Other listed activities included trading platforms and blockchain technology.

The bulk of these issuers (27%) reported the Canadian Securities Exchange as their primary exchange. Eighteen per cent of issuers said they were not listed. The Toronto Stock Exchange and NEO Exchange were the primary exchange for 2% and 1% of issuers, respectively.

This guidance comes at a time when a number of new crypto-related products are coming to market. Several companies, including Purpose Investments Inc., Evolve Funds Group Inc. and CI Global Asset Management Inc., have launched their own Bitcoin ETFs. CI GAM, Evolve and 3iQ Corp. have also filed preliminary prospectus to launch Ether ETFs.