Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC): register, licences and requirements

How to check a firm on the FINTRAC register

The MSB Registry is searchable by organization name; results show legal/operating names, business address, services offered, registration status, registration number, approval/expiry dates, and a foreign-MSB indicator. FINTRAC also publishes the full registry as a downloadable CSV/Excel file, updated monthly. An active entry shows status "Registered"; FINTRAC states registration does not mean FINTRAC endorses or licenses the business.³

• Money Services Business (MSB) Registry - registered MSBs and foreign MSBs, including virtual currency dealers³
• Bank of Canada registry of payment service providers (PSPs) registered under the Retail Payment Activities Act - a separate regulator, listed for context since MSB registration and RPAA registration are often required together⁵

At a glance

What FINTRAC supervises

FINTRAC is Canada's financial intelligence unit and the anti-money-laundering/anti-terrorist-financing supervisor. It collects, analyses and discloses financial intelligence to police and security agencies, and it registers and supervises money services businesses (MSBs), including foreign MSBs and virtual currency dealers, for compliance with the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA).¹

• Money services businesses (foreign exchange dealing, fund/money transfer, negotiable instruments, virtual currency dealing, crowdfunding platforms, armoured car services, cheque cashing, private ATM acquiring)⁶
• Foreign MSBs that direct virtual-currency or money-transfer services at persons or entities in Canada⁶
• Other reporting entities under the PCMLTFA (banks, securities dealers, life insurers, real estate, casinos, etc.) for AML/ATF compliance and reporting¹
• Payment service providers are separately registered and prudentially supervised by the Bank of Canada under the Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA); this is a distinct regime from FINTRAC's MSB registration, and many payment/virtual-currency businesses need both.⁵

Licences FINTRAC issues

• MSB · Canada

  Money services business (MSB) registration (covers foreign exchange dealing, money transferring, virtual currency dealing, crowdfunding platforms and related services; a separate foreign-MSB registration applies to businesses without a place of business in Canada that direct services at Canadians)

Lesser-known services for applicants

Fee schedule: FINTRAC does not charge any fee for MSB registration, renewal, or updates; it states explicitly that it does not charge registration fees.⁴

Compare with other regulators: pre-application meetings · sandboxes and innovation hubs.

Statistics

• As of March 31, 2024, 2,984 money services businesses were registered with FINTRAC; in 2023-24, 1,390 MSBs registered or renewed, 135 ceased, 250 expired, there were 17 revocations and two denials of registration.⁷
• The Bank of Canada's RPAA payment-service-provider registry did not render any entries when fetched (page shows a live-loaded search table); a total registered-PSP count could not be confirmed from the static page content.⁵

Fees and timelines

Changing the owner of a licensed firm

Notification only. For MSB registration, FINTRAC requires a criminal record check for each person who owns or controls, directly or indirectly, 20% or more of the entity or its shares. Registered MSBs must keep registration information up to date and notify FINTRAC of changes (e.g., contact person, Canadian representative for service) within 30 days; failure to notify in time can lead to administrative monetary penalties, criminal charges, or denial/revocation of registration. Separately, under the Retail Payment Activities Act a payment service provider must obtain new Bank of Canada registration (with a Minister of Finance national-security review of up to 60 days, extendable, plus up to 180 days, extendable, if a review is undertaken) before an acquisition of one-third or more of voting control closes; this is the Bank of Canada's regime, not FINTRAC's.⁸

Buying a company that already holds one of these licences is often faster than applying. See ready-made licensed companies · emoney payments.

Laws FINTRAC applies

• Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act: S.C. 2000, c. 17

Recent and upcoming changes

• 2026-03-26: Budget 2025 Implementation Act received Royal Assent, amending the PCMLTFA to require stablecoin issuers to register with FINTRAC as money services businesses; implementing regulations and a Bank of Canada public registry of stablecoin issuers are still pending (Canada Gazette Part II).⁹
• 2026-03-26: Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act received Royal Assent, introducing a new administrative monetary penalties framework, enhanced compliance-program requirements, universal enrolment obligations, and the Commissioner of Canada Elections as a new disclosure recipient.⁹
• 2025-10-01: Remaining Budget 2023/Fall Economic Statement 2023 amendments took effect, including MSB registration changes, real estate representative verification, automated banking machine acquirers, and title insurers as reporting entities; beneficial-ownership discrepancy reporting also commenced.⁹
• 2025-04-01: New PCMLTFA obligations took effect for factors, cheque-cashing businesses, and financing/leasing entities under Budget 2024 amendments.⁹
• 2025-09-08: The risk-management and fund-safeguarding duties of the Retail Payment Activities Act and the Bank of Canada's public registry of payment service providers took effect; RPAA registration itself had opened on 1 November 2024.¹⁰

Contacts and public register

Address: FINTRAC, 24th floor, 234 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, ON K1P 1H7, Canada¹¹
Website: fintrac-canafe.canada.ca¹

Check whether a firm is licensed: official register³ · official register⁵.