Newton Review

Newton is a cryptocurrency trading platform built exclusively for Canadians. Founded in Toronto in 2018 by CEO Dustin Walper, it has grown into one of the country's better-known domestic exchanges, and in March 2026 it became one of the few crypto platforms admitted to Canada's main investment-industry self-regulator as a full investment dealer. This review looks at how Newton works, what it actually costs, and where it falls short.

What it is and how it works

Newton lets Canadians buy, sell, and swap more than 70 cryptocurrencies, all priced directly in Canadian dollars — no converting to US dollars first. Funding is one of its strongest features: CAD deposits and withdrawals by Interac e-Transfer are free, and no commission is added on top of trades. The platform supports market and limit orders, recurring buys for automated investing, and staking — earning rewards by locking up coins to help run a proof-of-stake network — on supported assets. Newton is registered as a money services business with FINTRAC, Canada's anti-money-laundering agency, and it serves Canadian residents only.

Regulation and custody

Newton's regulatory standing is its biggest selling point. It first registered as a restricted dealer — a limited registration category Canadian regulators created specifically for crypto platforms — in 2022. In March 2026 it graduated to full investment dealer status, becoming a dealer member of CIRO (the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, which oversees investment firms) in every province and territory. Newton is also a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund, though crypto assets themselves are not covered by that fund.

On custody, Newton's regulatory filings state that at least 80% of client crypto is held with third-party custodians — Coinbase Custody Trust Company and BitGo — largely in cold storage, meaning the private keys are kept on devices with no internet connection. Up to 20% sits in hot wallets secured by Fireblocks to handle day-to-day withdrawals. The custodians carry insurance against hacks and theft, and client cash is held in trust at a Canadian financial institution.

Pricing: "no commission" is not "no cost"

Newton charges no explicit trading fee. Instead, its cost is built into the spread — the gap between the price you pay when buying and the price you receive when selling. Newton publishes these rates: roughly 1.00% to 1.15% for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC; 1.25% to 1.45% for coins like Litecoin and Solana; and 1.50% to 1.60% for everything else. Higher-volume clients may qualify for Newton's Signature Program, which lowers fees to as little as 0.5%. The company's earlier "Newton Pro" platform for active traders is no longer advertised.

For occasional buyers, this model is simple and predictable. For frequent traders, it adds up: order-book exchanges such as Kraken charge explicit fees well under 1% per trade. Shakepay, Newton's closest Canadian rival, uses a similar spread-based model but offers far fewer coins.

Limitations worth knowing

Canadian regulation shapes what Newton can offer. Tether (USDT), the world's largest stablecoin, is unavailable because the Ontario Securities Commission treats it as a prohibited asset for registered platforms, and Newton has delisted other coins over the years as rules tightened. Customer support is a recurring sore spot in user reviews, with complaints about slow responses and accounts being frozen during compliance checks. And because Newton is Canada-only, anyone who moves abroad cannot keep using it.

Pros

• Free CAD deposits and withdrawals via Interac e-Transfer
• 70+ coins, all in CAD pairs — a wider menu than Shakepay
• Strong regulatory standing: CIRO investment dealer, registered nationwide
• Majority of client crypto held offline with insured third-party custodians
• Staking and recurring buys built in

Cons

• Spreads of roughly 1% to 1.6% cost active traders more than order-book exchanges like Kraken
• No Tether (USDT), and regulator-driven delistings happen
• Mixed customer-support reputation
• Available to Canadian residents only

Verdict

Newton does the basics well: free funding, CAD pairs, a solid coin selection, and regulatory credentials that now exceed most Canadian competitors. The trade-off is price — its spreads are fine for occasional purchases but expensive for active trading — plus an uneven support record. For Canadian beginners who want more coins than Shakepay without learning a pro-style exchange, Newton is a sensible middle ground. 3.5/5

This review is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Sources

• Newton — Fees
• CIRO — Newton Crypto Ltd.
• Ontario Securities Commission — Newton Crypto Ltd. decision