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Coinfield vs. Bitcoin Well: What Works Better For Canadians in 2026

Oleg Galeev

Last updated July 16, 2026

Warning: CoinField is not a legitimate operating exchange. The platform stopped serving Canadians in mid-2023, left customer withdrawal requests unfulfilled, and in 2025 Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal permanently banned it and ordered over $3 million in combined penalties, disgorgement and costs for unregistered trading, illegal distribution and misleading investors. CoinField did not participate in the proceedings. Scam impostor sites now operate under the CoinField name — if you find a site accepting deposits as "CoinField," it is a fraud. If you were a CoinField customer with unmet withdrawals, report your experience to the OSC. Bitcoin Well is the only legitimate option here.

As the cryptocurrency landscape in Canada continues to mature, CoinField and Bitcoin Well once stood as distinct exchanges. Bitcoin Well is a fully operational FINTRAC-registered Canadian platform. CoinField is not: it collapsed in 2023, was permanently banned in 2025, and is now primarily relevant as a cautionary tale about the importance of using regulated Canadian exchanges.

Description

CoinField was an Estonia-based cryptocurrency exchange, operated by Manticore Labs OÜ, that served Canadians from 2018 until its collapse. CoinField is no longer active anywhere. The platform shut down in 2023 without meeting all customer withdrawal requests, and in 2025 Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal permanently banned it and fined it over $2.4 million for unregistered trading and misleading investors.

Bitcoin Well is a Canadian bitcoin platform that gives customers the choice of buying bitcoin online through their bank or with cash at one of their roughly 200 Bitcoin ATMs across Canada. Every purchase is sent directly to the customer's own wallet, and the platform never takes custody of your coins. Bitcoin Well has also expanded into the US, where its online portal operates in all 50 states.

Coins

No longer applicable. Before shutting down, CoinField offered around 20 coins including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Stellar and USDT, but lacked popular assets like Cardano, Solana and Dogecoin.

Bitcoin only, with full Lightning Network support for buying, selling and even paying bills.

Fees

No longer applicable. Historically, CoinField charged a 2% Interac e-Transfer deposit fee, a 2.5% Interac withdrawal fee, and 0.15%/0.25% maker/taker fees, which were high compared to competitors.

The online portal charges a 1.2% spread on buys, sells and bill payments, with no withdrawal, account or hidden fees. In your dashboard you can pick your blockchain fee setting: choose the free batched option if you don't mind waiting a few hours, or pay a priority fee if you need your bitcoin right away. Lightning transactions skip miner fees entirely. Cash vouchers carry higher costs (a 4% funding fee plus a 3% spread), and ATM purchases carry typical ATM premiums.

Pros

  • None. The platform no longer exists, and there is no legitimate way to open a CoinField account.
  • Immediate self-custody of assets
  • Option to buy bitcoin with cash at ATMs or via cash vouchers
  • Buy online with Interac e-Transfer, wire transfer or bill payment from your bank
  • Lightning Network support for instant, near-free transactions
  • Sell bitcoin directly from your own wallet
  • Pay bills and buy gift cards with bitcoin
  • Public company (TSXV: BTCW), which offers transparency

Cons

  • Shut down in 2023 with customer withdrawal requests left unfulfilled
  • Found by Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal to have engaged in unregistered trading, illegal distribution and misleading investors
  • Permanently banned in Ontario, with a $2.4 million penalty plus disgorgement ordered in 2025
  • The OSC found it lacked sufficient crypto assets in custody to satisfy withdrawals while telling customers otherwise
  • Scam websites now impersonate the CoinField name
  • Only Bitcoin available
  • 1.2% spread is not the cheapest in Canada
  • No advanced order types

Account Limits

No longer applicable.

  • Personalized limits shown in your account dashboard
  • Transactions of $50,000 or more go through Bitcoin Well Infinite, their OTC desk with a dedicated advisor for high-value transfers
 
 

Methods to buy

There is no way to buy crypto through CoinField. If you find a website claiming to be CoinField and accepting deposits, treat it as a scam: the OSC has specifically warned about an impostor site using the CoinField name. For platforms that legitimately serve Canadians, see our list of the best crypto exchanges in Canada.

  • Interac e-Transfer
  • Wire transfer
  • Bill payment from your online banking
  • Cash via Bitcoin ATMs
  • Cash vouchers

Security

CoinField marketed itself as a highly secure exchange using cold storage, multi-signature wallets and encryption. The regulatory record tells a different story: the OSC found the platform did not have sufficient crypto assets in custody to satisfy investor withdrawal requests and misled both investors and the regulator about why withdrawals were delayed. Whatever its technical security, customer funds were not safe. This is a textbook example of why we recommend holding your own coins in your own crypto wallet rather than leaving them on any exchange.

As a public company Bitcoin Well has a duty to be transparent with its investors and adhere to all Canadian regulations. Additionally, since you always take full custody of your bitcoin, you do not need to worry much about platform security, because your coins are never sitting on an exchange in the first place.

Mobile and Desktop Trading

CoinField's website and apps went offline in 2023 and have not returned. Any active app or site using the CoinField name today is not the original exchange and should be treated as a scam. Bitcoin Well's mobile app is available at bitcoinwell.com/app.

CoinField

CoinField's website and apps went offline in 2023 and have not returned. Any active app or site using the CoinField name today is not the original exchange and should be treated as a scam.

Bitcoin Well

Bitcoin Well has a simple website since most transactions happen either in person at a Bitcoin ATM or through your bank. Once your account is verified, you get full access to your online dashboard, where you can set blockchain fee preferences, manage recurring buys and pay bills. The ATM network adds a physical touch point that very few Canadian bitcoin platforms can match.

Coinfield

CoinField's website and apps went offline in 2023 and have not returned. Any active app or site using the CoinField name today is not the original exchange.

Reviewing CoinField's features

Coinfield trading view

Reviewing CoinField's usability from desktop version

Coinfield view with selecting coins

One of the pages on CoinField's app

Coinfield app main screeen

Reviewing CoinField's mobile app interface

App view while trading

Bitcoin Well

Bitcoin Well has a simple website since most transactions happen either in person at a Bitcoin ATM or through your bank. Once your account is verified, you get full access to your online dashboard, where you can set blockchain fee preferences, manage recurring buys and pay bills.

Transaction limits on Bitcoin Well

Setting up the account with Bitcoin Well

Security Compliance

CoinField marketed itself as a highly secure exchange using cold storage, multi-signature wallets and encryption. The regulatory record tells a different story: the OSC found the platform did not have sufficient crypto assets in custody to satisfy investor withdrawal requests and misled both investors and the regulator about why withdrawals were delayed. Whatever its technical security, customer funds were not safe. This is a textbook example of why we recommend holding your own coins in your own crypto wallet rather than leaving them on any exchange.

As a public company Bitcoin Well has a duty to be transparent with its investors and adhere to all Canadian regulations. Additionally, since you always take full custody of your bitcoin, you do not need to worry too much about the security measures of the platform, since you hold your bitcoin yourself. 

CoinField marketed itself as a highly secure exchange using cold storage, multi-signature wallets and encryption. The regulatory record tells a different story: the OSC found the platform did not have sufficient crypto assets in custody to satisfy investor withdrawal requests and misled both investors and the regulator about why withdrawals were delayed. Whatever its technical security, customer funds were not safe.

As a public company Bitcoin Well has a duty to be transparent with its investors and adhere to all Canadian regulations. The key security advantage is structural: since you always take full custody of your bitcoin, there are no exchange-held customer funds to hack.

CoinField marketed itself as secure but the OSC found it misled investors about the state of customer funds — a reminder that security marketing claims cannot be taken at face value. Bitcoin Well protects users through immediate self-custody and public-company transparency obligations. Only Bitcoin Well is relevant for Canadian users here.

Regulatory Compliance

CoinField's FINTRAC registration was ceased, and the company was never registered with Canadian securities regulators. In August 2024, Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal found it violated securities law through unregistered trading, illegal distribution and misleading investors, and in 2025 it was permanently banned from Ontario's capital markets with over $3 million in combined penalties, disgorgement and costs. CoinField did not participate in the proceedings.

Bitcoin Well is registered with FINTRAC (registration M19811620) and with Revenu Québec, and is fully legal in Canada. As a company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, it also publishes audited financials, a level of transparency almost no other Canadian bitcoin platform offers.

CoinField's FINTRAC registration was ceased, and the company was never registered with Canadian securities regulators. In August 2024, Ontario's Capital Markets Tribunal found it violated securities law through unregistered trading, illegal distribution and misleading investors. In 2025 it was permanently banned from Ontario's capital markets with over $3 million in combined penalties, disgorgement and costs. CoinField did not participate in the proceedings.

Bitcoin Well is registered with FINTRAC (registration M19811620) and with Revenu Québec, and is fully legal in Canada. As a company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (BTCW), it also publishes audited financials — a level of transparency almost no other Canadian bitcoin platform offers.

Bitcoin Well is registered with FINTRAC and fully authorized to serve Canadians, backed by TSXV-audited financials. CoinField had its FINTRAC registration ceased, was never registered with Canadian securities regulators, and was permanently banned from Ontario's capital markets in 2025 for securities violations.

Customer support

There is no customer support because there is no company left to contact. Former customers with unfulfilled withdrawals were harmed when the platform collapsed, and the tribunal noted the total harm to investors remains uncertain. If you were affected, you can report your experience to the OSC. If anyone contacts you claiming to recover your lost CoinField funds for a fee, that is a recovery scam, a common second-wave fraud targeting victims of collapsed exchanges.

Bitcoin Well runs an in-house Canadian support team available around the clock, and you can browse their help centre, open a support ticket, or even call or text their team. Most crypto platforms do not offer a phone number, so this is a big plus. Their Trustpilot rating sits around 4 stars across a modest number of reviews.

There is no CoinField customer support because there is no company left to contact. Former customers with unfulfilled withdrawals were harmed when the platform collapsed, and the tribunal noted the total harm to investors remains uncertain. If you were affected, you can report your experience to the OSC. If anyone contacts you claiming to recover your lost CoinField funds for a fee, that is a recovery scam.

Bitcoin Well runs an in-house Canadian support team available around the clock, and you can browse their help centre, open a support ticket, or even call or text their team. Most crypto platforms do not offer a phone number, so this is a genuine plus. Their Trustpilot rating sits around 4 stars across a modest number of reviews.

Bitcoin Well's around-the-clock phone and text support is the only relevant option for Canadians. CoinField no longer has any support function.

Conclusion

CoinField is not a legitimate operating exchange. It collapsed in 2023 with unfulfilled customer withdrawals, was permanently banned from Ontario's capital markets in 2025, and impostor scam sites now operate under its name. Avoid any site presenting itself as CoinField. If you were a CoinField customer with unmet withdrawals, report your experience to the OSC. If anyone contacts you offering to recover your funds for a fee, that is a recovery scam.

Bitcoin Well is the clear choice for Canadians. Immediate self-custody on every purchase, bill payments for phone/electricity/CRA taxes, Lightning support, cash purchases at 200+ ATMs across Canada, and the transparency of a publicly traded TSXV company make it the most capable Bitcoin-only platform in Canada. The 1.2% online spread is not the cheapest — Bull Bitcoin's all-inclusive spread is typically slightly lower for pure online buyers — but Bitcoin Well's ATM network and TSXV listing are genuinely unique.

We recommend choosing Bitcoin Well over CoinField for your cryptocurrency trading needs. By using our referral link, you support us in conducting comprehensive independent analyses of crypto trading options for Canadians.

If you find that Bitcoin Well doesn't meet your requirements, we encourage you to explore our monthly-updated list of the best exchanges for Canadians to trade crypto.

Author

Oleg is a Canadian citizen & crypto expert who has been trading since 2016. He started out with Coinbase, Kraken and Peer-to-Peer exchanges. After some time, centralized exchanges started charging crazy fees to their users.

He decided to review different crypto exchanges that operate in Canada and start a Youtube channel in order to educate Canadians on what kinds of things are going inside each one while giving them unbiased advice. On top of that, Oleg also has experience with NFT, airdrops, and crypto staking and he is constantly checking on new crypto assets.

His writing has been featured in popular Canadian media sources such as Toronto Sun and Ottawa Citizen. 

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