Security Compliance
Newton holds 80% of client assets offline in custodial cold storage with Coinbase and the remaining 20% in hot wallets secured by Fireblocks, with crypto assets covered by an insurance policy. Customer data is stored on Canadian servers with daily offsite backups, and the platform is tested internally every month and externally every year for vulnerabilities. Mandatory two-factor authentication and direct bank integration round out fraud protection.
To secure an Uphold account, users enable two-factor authentication, which Uphold requires before funds can be transferred. The platform keeps around 90% of digital assets in cold storage and has never suffered a sitewide hack. For former Canadian users, the more pressing security matter is retrieving stranded balances before unclaimed property rules kick in.
Newton holds 80% of client assets offline in custodial cold storage with Coinbase and the remaining 20% in hot wallets secured by Fireblocks, with crypto assets covered by an insurance policy. Customer data is stored on Canadian servers with daily offsite backups, and the platform is tested internally every month and externally every year for vulnerabilities. Mandatory two-factor authentication and direct bank integration round out fraud protection.
To secure an Uphold account, users enable two-factor authentication, which Uphold requires before funds can be transferred. The platform keeps around 90% of digital assets in cold storage and has never suffered a sitewide hack. Uphold publishes its reserve information and undergoes regular audits. For former Canadian users, the more pressing security matter is retrieving stranded balances before unclaimed property rules kick in.
Newton employs rigorous security measures, utilizing a combination of cold storage, Fireblocks hot wallet protection, encryption and institutional-grade policies to ensure the safety of assets. Uphold keeps around 90% of digital assets in cold storage, mandates 2FA before transfers, publishes reserve information and undergoes regular audits. Since Uphold is no longer available in Canada, only Newton's protections are relevant for Canadian readers.
Regulatory Compliance
Newton is regulated by the Canadian Securities Administrators, FINTRAC, and securities regulators in every province and territory, a major step up from its early days as a FINTRAC-only MSB. It was among the first Canadian exchanges to pursue securities registration, and its affiliation with DV Trading adds institutional market-making depth behind its pricing.
Uphold is regulated in the USA and compliant with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) record-keeping requirements. However, it is no longer Canadian-friendly: Canada appears on Uphold's non-supported jurisdictions list, and Canadian accounts were wound down in 2025. Uphold has publicly stated it's working on plans to return to Canada, but no timeline has been announced.
Newton is regulated by the Canadian Securities Administrators, FINTRAC, and securities regulators in every province and territory, a major step up from its early days as a FINTRAC-only MSB. It was among the first Canadian exchanges to pursue securities registration, and its affiliation with DV Trading adds institutional market-making depth behind its pricing.
Uphold is regulated in the USA and compliant with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) record-keeping requirements. However, it is no longer available to Canadians: Canada appears on Uphold's non-supported jurisdictions list, and Canadian accounts were wound down in 2025. Uphold has publicly stated it's working on plans to return to Canada, but no timeline has been announced.
Newton is registered with FINTRAC and operates as a CSA Restricted Dealer in every Canadian province and territory. Uphold was registered with FINTRAC but is no longer authorized to serve Canadian users.
Customer support
Newton has FAQs and a knowledge centre on its website, with support handled through online tickets. There's no phone or live chat, and its middling Trustpilot score mostly reflects slow support and ID-verification frustrations rather than fund-safety issues. For simple buy-and-hold users the support model is adequate; anyone who values a human on demand should look at NDAX or Netcoins instead.
Uphold offers help centres on its website and in-app, with support via an online ticketing system. If you're a former Canadian customer trying to recover funds, their Canadian services withdrawal help page is the place to start, and be patient, as reviews frequently mention slow, message-only support with replies taking days.
Newton has FAQs and a knowledge centre on its website, with support handled through online tickets. There's no phone or live chat, and its middling Trustpilot score mostly reflects slow support and ID-verification frustrations rather than fund-safety issues. For simple buy-and-hold users the support model is adequate; anyone who values a human on demand should look at NDAX or Netcoins instead.
Uphold offers help centres on its website and in-app, with support via an online ticketing system. If you're a former Canadian customer trying to recover funds, their Canadian services withdrawal help page is the place to start — be patient, as reviews frequently mention slow, message-only support with replies taking days.
Newton's support is relevant to active Canadian users; Uphold's support is relevant to Canadians only for recovering stranded CAD balances.
Conclusion
From a Canadian perspective, this comparison has a clear answer. Uphold exited Canada on June 11, 2025 — if you had an account, the withdrawal deadline was September 8, 2025, and any remaining crypto was auto-converted to CAD. Log in and withdraw it now if you haven't, and act quickly if you used Uphold Vault since the 12-month key retention window after account closure is running.
Newton is the clear choice for Canadians. It is registered with the CSA and securities regulators in every province, offers a genuinely beginner-friendly interface with no commissions and free Interac funding, and holds 80% of assets in Coinbase cold storage. The widening spreads and ticket-only support are genuine weaknesses — active traders will find better value at NDAX (0.2% flat fee) or Wealthsimple Crypto, and anyone who needs real-time customer support will prefer NDAX or Netcoins. But as a starting point for Canadians new to crypto, Newton's clean interface and regulatory standing make it a solid option. Newton also integrates with Koinly for tax reporting, which saves meaningful time at year end.
We recommend choosing Newton over Uphold for your cryptocurrency trading needs. By using our referral link, you get $25 and support us in conducting comprehensive independent analyses of crypto trading options for Canadians.
If you find that neither Newton nor Uphold meets your requirements, explore our monthly-updated list of the best exchanges for Canadians for more options.
