Balance

What Balance does

Balance is Canada's oldest and largest digital asset custodian, founded in June 2017 and headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The company provides qualified institutional custody of digital assets and fiat under a regulatory stack that includes FINTRAC and FinCEN MSB registrations, Alberta-incorporated Balance Trust Company Ltd. (the second-ever registered qualified custodian in Canada), and most-state U.S. money transmitter and virtual currency licenses held through its December 2025 acquisition of Wyoming-based DVTR Inc. (operating as Balance USA). Balance serves institutional clients across seven primary segments — OTC desks and prop traders, trading and exchange platforms, lending desks, market makers, institutional investors and asset managers, corporate entities and HNW individuals, and MSBs — and supports custody, staking, settlement, and compliance workflows across 20+ digital assets including BTC, ETH, ERC-20s, Solana, Cardano, Filecoin, Midnight, Stellar, XRP, and Litecoin.

The platform is built on proprietary infrastructure centered on the Digital Asset Cache (DAC), a trade-secret-protected Layer 2 protocol that automates creation, transaction, and liquidation of collections of digital wallets. Private keys are generated and stored offline on custom-built HSMs certified to CC EAL4+ or FIPS 140-2 Level 3, geographically distributed across North American bank-grade vaults with 24/7 monitoring. The product surface spans Balance Custody (flagship offline/warm storage with API access, unlimited wallets, multi-sig and mobile approvals), Balance Yield (staking/delegation via seven third-party providers), Balance Compliance (automated LVCTR submissions, Travel Rule via TRUST, sanctions screening via Chainalysis), Balance Settlements (off-chain tri-party settlement with retained legal title), and a beta Balance MCP Server enabling AI-agent-driven B2B payments. Certifications include SOC 2 Type 2 (April 2024), SOC 1 Type 1 (June 2025), and SOC 1 Type 2 (January 2026), with $25M offline asset insurance.

Balance generates revenue primarily through annual custody fees of 10-25 bps on assets under custody ($2.5B+ as of 2024, up from $500M in mid-2022), supplemented by transaction-based fees from integrated staking, lending, and liquidity providers, plus subscription revenue from compliance and settlements modules. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales with direct account managers and white-glove service across Canada and the United States. Disclosed funding to date is limited to a 2019 Bicameral Ventures / Techstars Toronto seed ($120,000 disclosed), suggesting the company has been substantially self-funded through retained earnings and regulatory capital rather than external venture capital.

Name

Balance

Legal name

PARADISO VENTURES INC. O/A Balance

Website

https://balance.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Balance is Canada's oldest and largest qualified digital asset custodian, serving institutional clients — OTC desks, exchanges, lenders, market makers, and asset managers — across Canada and most U.S. states with offline HSM-based custody, staking, compliance, and settlement infrastructure on a proprietary Layer 2 platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Digital Asset Custody

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Asset Custody (Institutional Crypto Custody) (FSAFAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Institutional Qualified Custody (Banks/Trust Companies) (FSADACAA), Reserve Management, Custody & Segregated Accounts (Backing Infrastructure) (FSADADAD), Smart Contract & Token Operations Infrastructure (Lifecycle, Corporate Actions) (FSAGAMAH)

Keywords

• Digital asset custody
• Institutional crypto custody
• Qualified custodian services
• Crypto staking infrastructure
• Custody compliance automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custody Fees: Annual custody fees charged on assets under custody. Balance charges 10-25 bps/year, significantly lower than typical market rates of 30-50 bps/year.
2. Free Withdrawals: Balance offers free unlimited withdrawals for custody clients, differentiating from competitors who charge 1-5 bps per transfer or flat fees up to $125.
3. Integrated Service Provider Fees: Fees from integrated third-party service providers for borrowing, lending, staking, and other services facilitated through the platform. Services provided to qualifying individuals and entities directly by third parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Balance is Canada's oldest and largest digital asset custodian, providing institutional clients with secure offline and warm custody of cryptocurrencies and fiat through proprietary HSM-based infrastructure and its Digital Asset Cache (DAC) Layer 2 protocol. Its modular platform extends core custody with yield generation (Balance Yield), automated regulatory compliance (Balance Compliance), and off-chain settlement (Balance Settlements), all accessible via RESTful API and mobile apps, with white-glove enterprise service.

Product overview

Balance operates as a modular platform with Balance Custody as the core infrastructure product providing secure offline and warm digital asset storage with wallet infrastructure and API access. Balance Yield extends the platform by enabling clients to stake, delegate, or pledge assets through third-party providers (Coinbase, Figment, Staked, Attestant, P2P) while retaining full ownership. Balance Compliance handles regulatory obligations with automated LVCTR reporting, Travel Rule compliance via TRUST, and Chainalysis-based sanctions screening. Balance Settlements provides off-chain settlement infrastructure with tri-party wallet control agreements and counterparty wallet delivery. Balance Now serves as a separate trading interface accessible at balancenow.ca. All modules are integrated through shared APIs and a unified backend, allowing clients to access yield, compliance, and settlement capabilities directly from their Balance Custody account.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Balance Custody: Secure offline storage and digital asset management solution for institutional players
• Balance Yield
• Balance Compliance
• Balance Settlements
• Balance Now
• Digital Asset Cache

Products and services

• Balance Custody Balance's flagship digital asset custody platform providing secure offline and warm storage for digital assets and fiat using FIPS 140-2 Level 3 HSMs and the proprietary Digital Asset Cache Layer 2 protocol. Supports unlimited wallets, RESTful API access, multi-signature approval workflows, mobile approvals via iOS and Android apps, batch transactions, and $25M offline asset insurance for institutional clients.
• Balance Yield Yield generation module enabling Balance Custody clients to stake, delegate, or pledge digital assets through integrated third-party providers (Coinbase, Figment, Staked, Attestant, P2P, Kiln, Aave, SOL Strategies/Orangefin, Northstake) while retaining full ownership and control throughout the yield lifecycle.
• Balance Compliance Compliance automation module for FINTRAC reporting entities dealing in virtual currency, offering automatic LVCTR submissions, Travel Rule compliance via TRUST, sanctions screening through Chainalysis, standardized compliance records export, and a Compliance API for automated regulatory workflows.
• Balance Settlements Off-chain settlement service enabling immediate delivery of assets to counterparty wallets, real-time settlement, tri-party wallet control agreements to reduce settlement risk on large trades, on-chain reconciliations, and unlimited offline and warm wallets for institutional clients.
• Balance Now Consumer-facing trading and digital asset management interface operated by Balance, accessible at balancenow.ca.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-3x more cost effective than industry giants (10-25 bps vs 30-50 bps)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VirgocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Virgo launches U.S. expansion bringing institutional OTC liquidity to 34 states in collaboration with Balance. Strategic partnership extending Balance's institutional infrastructure reach.
• ShopwarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Strategic partnership to provide advanced B2B payment options including invoice and BNPL programs to Shopware merchants in North America. Addresses 70%+ B2B cart abandonment rate by enabling flexible payment options aligned with buyers' cash flow cycles. Balance's AI-powered infrastructure automates invoice-to-cash lifecycle.
• P2P.orgcoreTechnology or Integration · 26 March 2026Balance announces integration with P2P.org to earn NIGHT staking rewards on the Midnight mainnet. Partnership expanded institutional staking access across multiple blockchain networks.
• NorthstakecoreTechnology or Integration · 25 March 2026Balance enables its custody clients to access Lido V3 stVaults through Northstake's Staking Vault Manager. Balance Trust Company is the first North American custodian to offer this integration, enabling institutions to stake ETH through operator-specific stVaults, mint stETH or wstETH, and maintain on-demand liquidity without exiting validators.
• SOL Strategies / OrangefincoreTechnology or Integration · 11 March 2026SOL Strategies' Orangefin validator integrated as top Solana staking provider for Balance's custody clients. Orangefin has maintained 100% uptime and operates under SOL Strategies' institutional compliance framework including ISO 27001 and SOC 1 and 2 Type 2 certifications.
• FRNT FinancialcoreTechnology or Integration · 5 March 2026FRNT Financial integrated as liquidity and lending provider on Balance's platform for institutional clients. Eligible clients can access FRNT's capital markets services including lending origination and structured solutions directly from Balance's offline and warm storage while maintaining asset segregation.
• AttestantcoreTechnology or IntegrationEthereum staking provider partner for Balance Yield, enabling clients to stake ETH from offline or warm wallets with regulatory compliant MEV.
• FigmentcoreTechnology or IntegrationStaking provider partner for Balance Yield. Figment integration enables institutional staking across supported blockchain networks.
• CoinbasecoreTechnology or IntegrationStaking provider partner integrated September 2024 for Balance Yield. Enables clients to stake through Coinbase's institutional staking infrastructure.
• StakedcoreTechnology or IntegrationYield partner for Balance Yield platform, one of world-class yield partners offering staking services to institutional clients.
• KilncoreTechnology or IntegrationStaking partner integrated with Balance for institutional staking access.
• EigenLayercoreTechnology or IntegrationProtocol support launched December 2024 for Ethereum restaking. Balance Trust Company's integration marks new frontier for institutional restaking adoption in Canada and US.
• FraxcoreTechnology or IntegrationFrax announced integration with Balance to power yield stablecoin rewards program.
• Haven Digital PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHaven Digital Partners selected Balance to expand institutional custody within the Filecoin ecosystem.
• Bow Valley Credit UnioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBow Valley Credit Union launched Canada's first regulated Bitcoin gateway using Balance's custody infrastructure. Allows members to buy Bitcoin through traditional accounts with secure, insured, real Bitcoin custody.
• DVTRcoreOthersAcquired Wyoming-based digital asset custodian DVTR in December 2025, expanding Balance's operational reach across most U.S. states. DVTR operates as Balance USA and is primary entity for U.S. client engagement.
• Newton CryptocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNewton Crypto moved customer assets to independent third-party custodian Balance in September 2019.
• Polymesh AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBalance welcomed as custodian and node operator for Polymesh network in March 2025.
• Maple FinancecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated Maple Finance for access to institutional lending through Balance platform.
• APX LendingcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated APX Lending for institutional lending access via Balance platform.
• Secure Digital MarketscoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated Secure Digital Markets as liquidity and lending provider for institutional clients.
• AavecoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated Aave as yield provider on Balance platform in January 2026.
• Midnight NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationBalance committed to building support for Midnight Network (April 2025), announced custody support at mainnet launch (March 2026), enables institutional access to NIGHT token distribution via Glacier Drop.
• TRUST (Travel Rule Universal Solution Technology)coreTechnology or IntegrationBalance joined Coinbase-led TRUST group for Travel Rule compliance, enabling Balance Compliance clients to comply with Travel Rule requirements through integration.
• ChainalysiscoreTechnology or IntegrationBalance Compliance integrates Chainalysis for sanctions screening and enforcement of OFAC sanctions programs.
• StablecorpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Stablecorp to deliver self-sovereign custody to Grapes Finance users, with Wildeboer Dellelce as pilot user (November 2022).

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BitGo: BitGo is the largest US-headquartered institutional digital asset custodian, offering qualified custody, cold storage, and wallet infrastructure similar to Balance's core offering; it is the most direct competitor in the institutional custody market Balance targets.
• Gemini Custody: Gemini Custody is a New York Trust company providing qualified institutional digital asset custody with insurance and SOC certifications; it is a direct competitor to Balance in the institutional custody market with similar regulatory positioning.
• Anchorage Digital: Anchorage Digital is a federally chartered crypto bank offering institutional digital asset custody, staking, and settlement services; it competes with Balance for institutional clients with overlapping regulatory-first positioning.
• Fireblocks: Fireblocks provides institutional digital asset custody infrastructure with MPC-based wallet technology, serving exchanges, trading firms, and corporate treasury clients — closely comparable to Balance's institutional customer base and technology approach.
• Bakkt: Bakkt provides institutional digital asset custody, trading, and staking services with regulated trust company status; it is a direct peer in the qualified custody market for institutional and corporate clients.
• Prime Trust: Prime Trust is a Nevada-chartered trust company offering institutional and retail digital asset custody, tokenization, and fiat services; it competes directly with Balance for institutional and corporate treasury clients.

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase Custody: Coinbase Custody is the institutional custody arm of Coinbase, providing qualified custody for digital assets at massive scale; it competes directly with Balance in the institutional segment but offers a much broader product suite as part of the larger Coinbase platform.
• Fidelity Digital Assets: Fidelity Digital Assets provides institutional digital asset custody and trading services as part of Fidelity's broader financial services platform; it competes with Balance for institutional mandates but operates at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• NYDIG: NYDIG provides institutional Bitcoin custody and execution services as part of Stone Ridge's broader digital asset platform; it competes with Balance for institutional and corporate treasury clients with a more Bitcoin-focused offering.

Regional players

• Tetra Trust: Tetra Trust is one of the few Canadian-qualified custodians for digital assets, operating in the same regulatory regime as Balance; it is a direct competitor for Canadian institutional clients but does not currently serve the US market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/balance_canada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/balancecanada

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Balance