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Toronto, Canada, November 28, 2025:
DeFi Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: DEFT | CBOE CA: DEFI) has officially launched QCAD.
Canada’s first and only Canadian dollar-pegged stablecoin is awaiting to receive full regulatory approval under the country’s stablecoin framework.
Issued through its portfolio company Stablecorp, QCAD marks the culmination of a multi-year compliance journey and positions Canada as one of the few jurisdictions worldwide with a fully prospectus-approved fiat-backed digital currency.
The milestone comes exactly two months after DeFi Technologies made a strategic investment in Stablecorp on September 25, 2025, and follows the final receipt of a prospectus by Canadian securities regulators earlier this week.
Key Takeaways
- QCAD is the first CAD stablecoin issued under a filed prospectus, making it fully compliant for institutional and retail use in Canada.
- 100% backed by audited Canadian dollar reserves and redeemable 1:1 at par value.
- Immediate revenue implications for DeFi Technologies via ETPs (Valour), liquidity services (Stillman Digital), and quantum-resistant infrastructure (BTQ partnership).
- Positions Canada as a global leader in regulated stablecoins alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UAE.
- Analysts see QCAD as a direct challenger to USD stablecoin dominance in North American DeFi and payments.
How Canada Finally Got Its Own Compliant Stablecoin
While USD-pegged giants like USDT and USDC dominate the $170+ billion stablecoin market, Canadian users and institutions have long lacked a domestically compliant alternative.
QCAD, originally conceptualized in 2019 by Stablecorp (a joint venture between 3iQ and Mavennet), faced years of regulatory scrutiny before today’s breakthrough.
The turning point arrived in September 2025 when DeFi Technologies took a significant equity stake in Stablecorp and committed its full ecosystem:
- Valour for exchange-traded products
- Stillman Digital for market-making
- BTQ Technologies for post-quantum cryptographic upgrades
...to accelerate commercialization.
Technical and Compliance Details
- Token standard: ERC-20 on Ethereum (with planned layer-2 and multi-chain expansion)
- Reserves: 100% CAD cash and cash equivalents held at regulated Canadian financial institutions, audited quarterly
- Governance: Operated under a Canadian trust structure with full prospectus disclosure
- Redemption: Instant 1:1 redemption for verified users and institutions
- Initial integrations: Valour planning CAD-stablecoin ETPs; Stillman providing deep liquidity pools
Market Reaction and Strategic Implications
Shares of DeFi Technologies surged as much as 18% in pre-market trading on Nasdaq following the announcement, reflecting investor excitement over new fee-generating revenue streams tied to QCAD issuance, distribution, and yield products.
“This is the most important regulated stablecoin launch in North America since USDC,” said Adam Reeds, crypto analyst at Rosenblatt Securities. “Canada just leapfrogged the United States in stablecoin clarity.”
Industry sources indicate that several major Canadian banks, payment processors, and fintech platforms have already signed letters of intent to integrate QCAD for cross-border settlements and tokenized treasury offerings.
Conclusion
With QCAD now live, Canada has fired the starting gun in the race for compliant national digital currencies.
For DeFi Technologies, the launch transforms a long-term bet into immediate monetization while giving millions of Canadians and institutions a regulated bridge between traditional finance and blockchain rails.
The stablecoin wars just gained a new heavyweight contender, and its name is QCAD.
Read Next:
- Stablecoins on Layer-3s
- Stablecoin Tax Guide 2025: Reporting and Tools for Compliance
- The Future of Stablecoins: What's Next in 2026 and Beyond
FAQs:
1. What exactly is QCAD, and why is it a big deal for Canada?
QCAD is the first Canadian dollar stablecoin issued under a full securities prospectus, making it 100% compliant for banks, institutions, and retail users in Canada, no offshore risk, no regulatory gray zones.
2. How does QCAD ensure it always stays worth exactly one Canadian dollar?
Every QCAD token is backed 1:1 by audited Canadian dollar reserves held in segregated trust accounts at regulated financial institutions. Users and institutions can redeem tokens for CAD at any time.
3. How does DeFi Technologies make money from QCAD?
Through its ownership in Stablecorp and its subsidiaries: issuance and redemption fees, planned CAD-stablecoin ETPs via Valour, liquidity spreads via Stillman Digital, and enterprise licensing of BTQ’s quantum-resistant tech stack.
4. Where can I buy or use QCAD right now?
QCAD is initially available through regulated Canadian platforms and select DeFi protocols. Broader exchange listings and Valour ETPs are expected in Q4 2025 and Q1 2026.
5. Is QCAD safer than USDT or USDC for Canadian users?
For Canadian institutions and compliance-focused users, yes, QCAD operates entirely under Canadian law with domestic reserves and full prospectus disclosure, eliminating U.S. jurisdictional and foreign-reserve risk.
