Crypto ETFs In Canada: Complete List With Fees

Every figure above comes from the issuer's own fund page. MERs are as of the dates shown on those pages, mostly June 30, 2026. I list the CAD unhedged unit where there is a choice.

What Are The Top 3 Crypto ETFs In Canada?

If I had to name three, I would go by cost and issuer: the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) at a 0.33% MER, the Fidelity Advantage Bitcoin ETF (FBTC) at 0.35%, and the CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF (BTCX.B) at 0.71%. All three hold bitcoin only. For ether, the CI Galaxy Ethereum ETF (ETHX.B) is the one I would look at first.

What Is A Crypto ETF In Canada?

A crypto ETF is a fund that holds a cryptocurrency and sells you shares of it on a stock exchange. Like other ETFs, the shares trade through a regular brokerage account, and a manager holds the underlying asset for you. The shares follow the price of the coin as it moves up and down.

Crypto ETFs are not like an S&P 500 index fund, which spreads your money over 500 companies. A bitcoin ETF holds one asset. A bigger fund holds more bitcoin, but your risk is the same: if bitcoin falls, the fund falls with it.

Canada became the first country to offer bitcoin ETFs in 2021. Since then, ether funds have followed, and several of them now stake part of their ether.

How Do I Buy A Crypto ETF In Canada?

It works exactly like buying any other ETF. Open an account with a brokerage such as Wealthsimple or Questrade, fund it by bank transfer, search the ticker and place the order. Both brokerages offer TFSA, RRSP and personal accounts, and the process is the same in each.

Wealthsimple lists $0 commission on stock and ETF trades in non-registered, TFSA and RRSP accounts. If you buy a US-listed security without a USD account, it charges a 1.5% currency conversion fee, which is one reason to buy the CAD unit of a Canadian fund. Bank transfers can take a few days to clear, so start funding early.

CRA generally treats cryptocurrency like a commodity, and income from it is business income or a capital gain depending on the circumstances. Holding a fund inside a TFSA or RRSP changes how the gains are taxed, but each fund has to be an eligible investment for the account, so confirm that on the fund's ETF Facts before you buy.

Should I Buy CAD Hedged Or Unhedged Crypto ETFs?

Some funds offer a CAD hedged unit, a CAD unhedged unit and a USD unit. For simplicity I list the CAD unhedged version where there is a choice, because the funds are largely the same underneath. The difference is currency. With the unhedged unit you are not protected against negative currency moves, but you also benefit from positive ones.

The Purpose funds use ticker suffixes to tell them apart. BTCC is currency hedged, and BTCC.B is not. For ether, ETHH is hedged and ETHH.B is not.

Which Crypto ETF Has The Lowest Fees In Canada?

Compare MERs, not headline management fees. The MER is the management fee plus sales tax and the fund's operating costs, so it is closer to what you really pay. CI Galaxy Bitcoin ETF shows how much they can differ: a 0.40% management fee turns into a 0.71% MER.

• Fidelity FBTC0.35%
• BlackRock IBIT0.33%
• CI Galaxy BTCX.B0.71%
• Purpose BTCC.B1.29%
• CI Galaxy ETHX.B1.14%
• Purpose ETHH.B1.42%

The dollar figures are the MER multiplied by $1,000. They do not include brokerage commissions or the bid-ask spread, and the MER changes each year.

How Risky Are Crypto ETFs?

Crypto is a volatile asset, and a fund does not change that. You may not earn a yield at all unless the fund stakes, and prices follow the crypto market, which never closes. The sector is far riskier than the stock market, and your fund can gain or lose value daily.

A fund also adds counterparty risk. You have to trust the asset manager, its custodian and your brokerage. In return, you skip the exchange sign-up, the withdrawal step and the risk of losing a private key.

What Are The Best Bitcoin ETFs In Canada?

Here are the six Canadian bitcoin ETFs I verified, ordered from lowest to highest MER where one is published.

What Are The Best Ether ETFs In Canada?

Ether funds cost more than bitcoin funds because of staking and operating costs. All three below hold ether, and two of them stake some of it.

Are There Multi-Coin Or Blockchain ETFs In Canada?

There are multi-coin funds, and there are funds that hold shares of blockchain companies such as miners, instead of the coins themselves. Those are a different bet. A blockchain company fund follows the share prices of the companies, which do not always move with bitcoin.

I only list funds whose fee, ticker and launch date I could check on the issuer's own page, so I am not ranking those here. If you want exposure beyond bitcoin and ether, open the issuer's fund page and read the ETF Facts first. I have not verified whether Canadian ETFs exist for any specific altcoin.

Is There A Canadian ETF For XRP Or Other Altcoins?

I have not verified a Canadian XRP ETF or any other single-altcoin ETF on an issuer's own page, so none is ranked here. The same goes for stablecoin funds and for crypto ETFs from the big banks such as TD, RBC, BMO or Scotiabank: I list only what I could check. If an issuer launches one, the ETF Facts document and the fund page will show the ticker, fee and whether it holds the coin or just tracks it.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Crypto ETFs?

What Is The Downside Of Buying Bitcoin Or A Bitcoin ETF?

The big one is volatility. Bitcoin can fall hard and fast, and an ETF falls with it. A fund also charges a yearly MER, and you cannot withdraw the coin or use it. Bitcoin is a single asset, so it is not a replacement for a diversified stock fund like an S&P 500 index fund, and I do not claim either one will outperform the other. Size the position so a deep drop will not force you to sell.

Should I Buy A Crypto ETF Or The Coin Itself?

If you want to send crypto, use it, stake it yourself or keep it in your own wallet, you need the real coin. If you just want exposure inside a TFSA or RRSP and you do not want to handle keys, an ETF is simpler. Compare the yearly fee against exchange trading fees too, since a buy-and-hold investor may pay less on an exchange than the fund MER over many years.

Oleg's takeI prefer holding the actual coin in my own wallet. Still, I understand why people pick an ETF, especially inside a TFSA or RRSP or when handling keys feels risky. If you go the ETF route, pick on MER: for bitcoin that points to BlackRock's IBIT (0.33%) or Fidelity's FBTC (0.35%).

These are the four highest-ranked CSA-registered platforms on my list. The full ranking, including platforms that are not CSA-registered, is on the best crypto exchanges page. KuCoin is on the CSA banned list, and Bitget, Bybit and Binance are not available to Canadians.

How Do I Choose A Crypto ETF?

Pick by need. Lowest cost: IBIT or FBTC. Long-running Canadian issuer with a mid-range fee: CI Galaxy. Largest name recognition: Purpose, at a higher fee. Ether with staking: CI Galaxy ETHX.B if you care about fees, or Purpose ETHH. Not sure whether an ETF or a coin fits you better? Take the crypto quiz.