Canada officially launched a 60-day public consultation on a draft stablecoin framework that mandates a strict one-to-one reserve backing at qualified domestic institutions and maintains a complete prohibition on yield payments. The regulatory initiative, referencing the United States GENIUS Act, was introduced by Ottawa to establish oversight for digital tokens issued by non-financial institutions. Under the proposed guidelines, digital asset operators must guarantee fast redemption timelines and adhere to strict fee limitations.

What are the reserve and redemption requirements for stablecoin issuers?

Non-financial stablecoin issuers operating under the Canadian proposal must back their digital tokens on a one-to-one basis with reserves held specifically at qualified Canadian institutions. Furthermore, the draft regulations dictate that these entities must settle all token redemptions within three business days. The framework also explicitly mandates that stablecoin redemptions must be honored at any balance, while capping redemption fees at one percent, according to multiple industry reports.

Watch: Canada's Stablecoin Future: Symbiotic COO Jillian Friedman on Crypto Regulation | BNN Bloomberg — Symbiotic

Why is Canada maintaining a ban on stablecoin yields and third-party interest?

The Canadian government chose to uphold a strict prohibition against issuing yields directly to token holders. Unchained Crypto reported that the stablecoin draft explicitly bars issuers from distributing interest via third parties, although usage rewards may still be permissible under the guidelines. PYMNTS.com and other outlets confirmed that the policy stance aims to prevent digital tokens from functioning akin to unregulated interest-bearing bank deposits.

Holding Bitcoin cryptocurrency coin
Holding Bitcoin cryptocurrency coin (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Canada launched a 60-day public consultation on draft stablecoin rules requiring one-to-one reserves, capping redemption fees at one percent, and upholding a strict ban on yield payments.

How does the U.S. GENIUS Act influence the Canadian framework?

The Canadian government cited the United States GENIUS Act while formulating the potential implementation of its own Stablecoin Act. Cointelegraph and KuCoin noted that international legislative movements, particularly in the United States, served as contextual reference points as Ottawa seeks public feedback from industry stakeholders on the proposed rules. The ongoing consultation period will allow market participants to weigh in on the operational impacts of the prospective digital asset guidelines.

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