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    Visual explainers

    Infographics

    Five pictures that explain most of blockchain payments in Canada. Numbers come from the site engine’s illustrative defaults and are labelled as such.

    Mitey presenting a chain of ledger blocks

    1. Canadian payment rails at a glance

    Canadian payment rails compared on who can pay, cost structure, time to usable funds, reversibility and hours
    RailWho can payCost structureTime to usable CADReversible?Hours
    Credit cardDomestic and international cardholdersPercentage + fixed fee; FX on foreign cardsBusiness days after batchYes: chargebacksAccept 24/7
    Interac e-TransferCanadian bank accountsPer-transfer fee, varies by bank and planTypically minutesGenerally no once deposited24/7
    EFT / PADCanadian bank accountsLow fixed fee; monthly planBatch, business daysReturns possible (NSF, PAD rules)Business days
    WireDomestic and internationalFixed incoming fee + FX spread; intermediary deductionsSame day to a few business daysHard to recallBank cut-off times
    USD stablecoinAnyone with a compatible walletNetwork fee + USD→CAD conversion + off-rampMinutes on-chain; CAD on business daysNo: refunds are new paymentsNetwork 24/7
    Native crypto-assetAnyone with a compatible walletProcessor %, network fee, conversionMinutes to an hour+; CAD on business daysNoNetwork 24/7
    Real-Time Rail (planned)Canadian accountsTo be set by participantsReal-time (by design)To be confirmedPlanned Q4 2026 launch
    Simplified, typical characteristics. Fees and timing vary by provider, bank and plan. Real-Time Rail is planned, not live, as of October 30, 2026.

    2. Anatomy of the fee on a $100 domestic payment

    Credit card$2.90
    Processor rate (interchange, network, markup) $2.90
    USD stablecoin$1.55
    Network fee $0.05USD→CAD conversion $1.00Off-ramp $0.50
    Native crypto$3.25
    Processor fee $1.00Network fee $1.50Off-ramp $0.75
    Interac e-Transfer$1.50
    Per-transfer fee $1.50
    Computed from the illustrative default assumptions in the cost comparison, not quotes. Card rates for eligible small businesses fell from October 19, 2024; check your own statement.

    3. When does a Friday sale become cash?

    Day on which a Friday sale becomes usable cash, by rail
    Friday sale via…FriSatSunMonTueWedThuFri
    Card…………● cash
    e-Transfer● cash
    EFT……………● cash
    Wire…………● cash
    Stablecoin………● cash
    On-chain………● cash
    Uses each rail’s default settlement days (business days for bank rails). Statutory holidays add delays. Try other schedules in the cash-flow simulator.

    4. The life of an on-chain payment

    RequestBroadcastMempoolIn a blockConfirmationsFinalityMark paidConvert to CADdropped / replacedre-org resets countExpired quote · underpaid · overpaid · wrong network → written policy, manual review
    Walk through it step by step, including failure paths, in the lifecycle visualizer.

    5. Who covers what

    FINTRAC

    Anti-money-laundering: MSB registration for dealing in virtual currency, large virtual currency reports, travel rule, records.

    CRA

    Income tax on crypto received (barter, fair market value in CAD) and GST/HST on that value.

    Provincial securities regulators (CSA)

    Crypto trading platforms and value-referenced crypto assets (stablecoins) under interim terms.

    Bank of Canada

    RPAA supervision of payment service providers; future supervisor of stablecoin issuers under the Stablecoin Act.

    PCI Security Standards Council

    Industry standard (not a regulator) for anyone storing, processing or transmitting cardholder data.

    As reviewed October 30, 2026. Each card links to a dated explainer with primary sources.