Security Compliance
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.
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.
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.
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. Your coins go straight to your own wallet with every purchase.
Uphold keeps roughly 90% of assets in cold storage, mandates 2FA and publishes reserve information. Bitcoin Well protects users through immediate self-custody and public-company transparency obligations — your coins never sit on the platform. Since Uphold is no longer available to Canadians, only Bitcoin Well's security is relevant here.
Regulatory Compliance
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.
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.
Uphold is regulated in the USA and registered with FINTRAC as a Canadian MSB, but it is no longer operating in Canada: Canadian accounts were wound down in June 2025, and any remaining crypto was auto-converted to CAD by September 8, 2025. Uphold has publicly stated it's working on plans to return to Canada, but no timeline has been announced.
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 legal in Canada, backed by TSXV-audited financials. Uphold retains its FINTRAC MSB registration but no longer serves Canadian users.
Customer support
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.
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.
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.
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 phone and text support around the clock is the only relevant ongoing option for Canadians. Uphold's support is relevant only for former Canadian users recovering stranded CAD balances.
Conclusion
From a Canadian perspective, this comparison has a clear answer. Uphold exited Canada on June 11, 2025 — and any remaining crypto was automatically converted to CAD by September 8, 2025. If you have unclaimed CAD balances on Uphold, log in and withdraw via Interac before unclaimed property laws apply. If you used Uphold Vault, use the Vault Recovery Site promptly — Uphold only keeps its copy of the Vault key for 12 months after account closure.
Bitcoin Well is the clear choice for Canadians looking for a Bitcoin platform. Immediate self-custody on every purchase, bill payments for phone, electricity and CRA taxes, Lightning support, cash purchases at 200+ ATMs across Canada, and the transparency of a publicly traded TSXV company make it uniquely well-suited to Bitcoin accumulators. The 1.2% online spread is not the cheapest in Canada — 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 Uphold 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.
