Jeremy Koven, the president of Canada-based crypto exchange CoinSmart and president at WonderFi, pointed to areas of concern for crypto firms in the United States looking for regulatory clarity and favorable tax policy.
Speaking to Cointelegraph at the Blockchain Futurist Conference in Toronto on Aug. 16, Koven said promoting crypto at casinos and for sports betting was “really a no-brainer” in Canada, where many users were interested in gaming. He also pointed to the U.S. for dividing crypto rules among the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, raising concerns among firms looking for clear regulations.
“Canada […] has done a very good job with that,” said Koven on regulation. “Taxes can be sorted out. That’s country to country, of course. I know the U.S. takes that stance that every time you make a purchase, you are selling your crypto, but other countries are a little bit more favorable right now.”
CoinSmart announced it would merge with WonderFi and Coinsquare in April, creating one of the largest crypto trading platforms in Canada with more than 1.6 million users — there are roughly 38 million people in Canada. The merger followed Coinsquare acquiring CoinSmart in September 2022.
Crypto users in Canada have seen a number of developments come as the U.S. continues to struggle with regulatory clarity. While the SEC has never approved any spot Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund in the U.S., Purpose launched one in Canada in February 2021, prompting other firms to follow in its footsteps.
On Aug. 14, Coinbase announced it had expanded the services offered to Canadian users through a partnership with Peoples Trust Company. Other major exchanges like Binance, however, have pulled out of the country amid concerns by regulators.
Donald Trump has reignited his row with London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan after calling him a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”.
During an hour-long news conference with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, the US president hit out at the Labour mayor, who has responded with his own snipey remarks.
Asked if he would visit London during his state visit in September, Mr Trump said: “I will, I’m not a fan of your mayor, I think he’s done a terrible job.
“A nasty person, I think.”
The prime minister then interrupted and said: “He’s a friend of mine.”
But the president added: “I think he’s done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London, I hope so.”
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Sir Sadiq’s spokesperson then released a statement saying: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.
“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.
“Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”
Image: Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted in June. Pic: PA
They noted that Sir Sadiq has won three mayoral elections, including when Mr Trump lost the US election in 2020.
This is not the first time Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq have locked horns.
Sir Sadiq then described Mr Trump as a “poster boy for racists”.
And in November 2024, after Mr Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “fearful” about what it would “mean for democracy”.
However, as Sir Keir tried to show diplomacy with Mr Trump after becoming PM, Sir Sadiq said he “wanted to work closely with the American president” ahead of his inauguration in January.
The London mayor said as somebody “who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States”.
But he added: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president.”
The SEC delayed decisions on the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF and Grayscale’s Solana Trust, extending review periods as the US Congress moves with crypto regulation.
The US House of Representatives will be in recess for the month of August, but the Senate still has a week of business to address two crypto bills before breaking.