Tetra Trust Launches CADD, Canada’s First Regulated CAD-Backed Stablecoin

Canada has launched its first regulated digital “dollar” in the form of CADD, a Canadian-dollar stablecoin issued by Tetra Trust Company under a framework approved by Alberta Treasury Board and Finance.

“Shopify and National Bank of Canada are among backers of a new digital currency built to settle trades 24/7 Tetra Trust's new stablecoin, CADD, is aimed at institutional use for 24/7 cross-border settlement, real-time corporate treasury, and direct fintech transfers, replacing legacy batch systems”

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Multiple outlets describe CADD as a payment stablecoin backed 1:1 by Canadian dollars, with reserves held in trust under Canadian law and dedicated exclusively to redemption.

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Business Wire says the launch marks “a national first for digital asset infrastructure in Canada” by enabling Canadian dollars to move on blockchain rails under a financial services regulatory framework.

CoinDesk and Blockonomi both say the token is live on Base, Ethereum, and Tempo, with Solana support planned.

The Globe and Mail frames CADD as a bid to tap demand for digital currencies “that aren’t tied to the U.S. dollar,” and says Tetra Digital Group said it operates under a different regulatory framework from competitors.

In a statement carried by Business Wire, Didier Lavallée, Founder and CEO of Tetra Digital Group, said: “This milestone reflects the strong collaboration with Alberta’s government, industry partners and regulators to bring a compliant and scalable Canadian-dollar stablecoin to market.”

The launch follows a testnet phase in December 2025, when CADD became the first Canadian stablecoin to move between two financial institutions, National Bank of Canada and Wealthsimple, according to CoinDesk and Business Wire.

CADD’s rollout is backed by a consortium that includes Shopify and the National Bank of Canada, along with other named Canadian firms.

CoinDesk lists backers such as Shopify, Wealthsimple, Purpose Unlimited, Shakepay, ATB Financial, National Bank of Canada and Urbana Corporation, and says Urbana Corporation holds a majority stake.

Blockonomi

Blockonomi similarly says Tetra Trust raised $10 million in September 2025, and that investors include Shopify, Wealthsimple, Purpose Unlimited, Shakepay, ATB Financial, National Bank of Canada and Urbana Corporation.

Business Wire adds that CADD is issued by Tetra Trust Company via its agent CAD Digital Inc., and describes the reserves as held in trust in Canada and dedicated exclusively to redemption.

In the same Business Wire release, Tetra says CADD brings “Canadian dollars onto continuous, programmable networks with near-instant settlement finality,” and it ties the design to institutional expectations around asset protection, transparency, and compliance.

BNN Bloomberg quotes Tetra’s CEO, Didier Lavallée, arguing that CADD is needed because “the Canadian dollar is widely used for global commerce,” and that “As more and more of that activity is moving into the digital sphere, we need a competitive offering as Canadians.”

BNN Bloomberg also states that CADD is pegged 1:1 to the dollar, meaning one CADD is intended to be redeemable for exactly one Canadian dollar.

Tetra and its backers frame CADD as a domestic alternative to U.S. dollar stablecoins by emphasizing its regulatory status and the trust-company structure behind the token.

“Summary - Tetra Trust has unveiled CADD, the first Canadian dollar-backed stablecoin issued by a Canadian financial institution”

bloomingbit

CoinDesk says the stablecoin sector had grown “but lacked a meaningful, regulated Canadian counterpart,” and it argues that Canadian businesses lacked a domestic option for moving CAD on blockchains, leaving USD-denominated stablecoins to dominate.

Blockonomi and Cryptonews.net both repeat that Canada clears roughly $424 billion per business day on legacy rails dependent on batch infrastructure first deployed in the 1980s, and they position CADD as a way to provide continuous settlement through blockchain rails.

BNN Bloomberg adds that CADD is the first one issued by a licensed trust company under a traditional financial services framework approved by the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance.

The Globe and Mail says Tetra Digital Group told it that CADD operates under a different regulatory framework from competitors, and it quotes program director Felipe Priuli saying: “That limits the demand for Canadian dollars.”

The Globe and Mail also quotes Priuli describing the securities risk for other tokens: “Everyone that wants to interact with the token … they risk being seen as a securities dealer.”

Business Wire describes CADD as “issued by a regulated financial institution” with “reserves held in Canada,” and it says compliance is built in from day one by a firm with “Canada’s longest track record of operating regulated digital asset infrastructure.”

The CADD launch arrives as Canada’s stablecoin market remains described as limited, with other named projects operating under different regulatory trajectories.

CoinDesk says the competitive set in the country is small, noting that Stablecorp, backed by Coinbase Ventures, filed a preliminary prospectus for QCAD with the Ontario Securities Commission in June last year and received final approval in December, while the token is not yet broadly available.

BNN Bloomberg

Blockonomi similarly says QCAD is not yet broadly available and adds that Loon, a Calgary firm spun out of Paytrie in October, is taking over CADC, a stablecoin launched in 2021 that has processed more than $200 million in volume.

Cryptonews.net repeats that Loon raised $3 million pre-seed and pre-filed a prospectus with the Alberta Securities Commission, and it says Loon is taking over CADC.

BNN Bloomberg situates CADD within the regulatory timeline by saying the Stablecoin Act was passed two months ago but won’t go into effect until 2027, and it quotes Lavallée on Tetra’s view that it has the “right to distribute broadly at the federal level.”

The Globe and Mail provides additional context by saying the Stablecoin Act received royal assent in March and that it was long-awaited by stablecoin proponents, while also noting that Canada’s rules “fell short of explicitly saying that stablecoins are not securities.”

Business Wire emphasizes that CADD is “Canada’s only stablecoin issued through a Canadian financial institution,” and it says it is designed to bring CAD settlement on-chain under full regulatory oversight.

Beyond Canada, the CADD launch is presented as part of a broader shift in stablecoin infrastructure and payment settlement, with global transaction volumes and major payment players cited in the sources.

“- Tetra Digital Group Launches CADD, Canada’s First CAD-Backed Stablecoin Issued by a Financial Institution Share _CADD is Canada’s only stablecoin issued through a Canadian financial institution, bringing CAD settlement on-chain under full regulatory oversight”

Business Wire

CoinDesk says global stablecoin transaction volume passed $27 trillion in 2025, exceeding Visa’s annual payment volume, and it says the current stablecoin market cap is $320 billion with the lion’s share accounted for by USD stablecoins, according to DeFiLlama.

CoinDesk

Business Wire similarly cites that global stablecoin transaction volume surpassed $27 trillion in 2025, exceeding Visa’s annual payment volume, and it states that Visa began settling transactions in USDC in late 2025 while Mastercard expanded stablecoin settlement across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The Globe and Mail adds that stablecoin market capitalization grew roughly ten times since 2020 and surpassing $400-billion this year, citing Deloitte, and it references a Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank study published in April saying less than one per cent of stablecoins are used for payments.

In Canada, Tetra says it is building trust through ongoing auditing and transparency mechanisms, with BNN Bloomberg quoting Lavallée about monthly audits and unannounced random checks.

BNN Bloomberg says Lavallée stated: “We have hired essentially an external auditor, a financial auditor that’s going to be doing monthly audits,” and it adds that these will be published as attestations on their website so users can verify that for every 1 CADD token issued, there is exactly $1 held in reserve.

Business Wire says CADD is designed for institutional use cases including 24/7 cross-border settlement, real-time corporate treasury transfers, programmable payments for marketplace payouts, and direct settlement between fintech partners without correspondent banking delays.