Canadian Securities Lending Association

What Canadian Securities Lending Association does

The Canadian Securities Lending Association (CASLA) is a private, not-for-profit trade association founded in April 2009 by CIBC Mellon, Northern Trust, RBC Investor Services, and State Street Corporation to serve as the unified voice for the Canadian securities lending industry. Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, CASLA works with Canadian regulators, self-regulatory organizations, and market participants to ensure the long-term viability of the industry and the adoption of best practices. Its members include custodian banks, beneficial owners (pension funds and institutional investors), broker-dealers, hedge funds, and asset managers, all operating within a Canadian securities lending market that ranked as the second largest globally with CAD 2.62 trillion in lendable assets and CAD 241 billion on loan in Full Year 2025, generating CAD 682 million in market revenue at an average fee of 40 basis points.

CASLA does not develop proprietary technology. Its core offerings consist of industry advocacy, educational resources, and market intelligence products. The principal asset is the Canadian Data Dashboard, launched in 2024 in partnership with S&P Global Market Intelligence (DataLend), which provides monthly analysis of lendable assets, value on loan, and market trends. Other offerings include the Annual CASLA Conference (350-400 delegates), the T+1 Transition FAQ, the GASLA Global Framework for ESG and Securities Lending (GFESL), and a Resources Library containing Bank of Canada discussion papers and IOSCO reports. CASLA also operates within an international alliance structure as a co-founder of GASLA (September 2021) alongside ISLA, PASLA, RMA, and SASLA.

CASLA is governed by member institutions and funded primarily through membership fees and conference sponsorship packages. Documented sponsorship tiers range from $3,500 (Contributing Sponsor) to $8,500 (Title Sponsor) annually, with higher Title Plus and multi-year arrangements available. Specific membership pricing is not publicly disclosed. The association operates with a small staff of 1-10 employees and recent leadership includes Roanna Kim (RBC Capital Markets) as President and Mathilda Yared (National Bank of Canada) as Vice President. Distribution is direct to enterprise institutional members through the CASLA website, with digital channels (LinkedIn, email, press releases) and the annual conference as primary engagement mechanisms.

Name

Canadian Securities Lending Association

Legal name

Canadian Securities Lending Association

Website

https://canseclend.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Canadian Securities Lending Association (CASLA) is a not-for-profit trade association founded in 2009 that serves as the unified industry voice for Canadian securities lending market participants, providing advocacy, market data, and educational resources to custodian banks, beneficial owners, broker-dealers, and asset managers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CASLA is a not-for-profit trade association that provides industry advocacy, market data, and educational resources to participants in the Canadian securities lending industry. Its core deliverables include the Canadian Data Dashboard (monthly market analytics produced with S&P Global Market Intelligence), the Annual CASLA Conference, ESG framework guidance via GASLA membership, and T+1 settlement transition resources. The association engages with Canadian regulators and self-regulatory organizations on behalf of custodian banks, beneficial owners, broker-dealers, hedge funds, and asset managers.

Product overview

The Canadian Securities Lending Association (CASLA) is a trade association serving the Canadian securities lending industry rather than a product company. CASLA's offerings consist of industry advocacy, educational resources, and market intelligence products. The primary offerings include the Canadian Data Dashboard (produced in partnership with S&P Global Market Intelligence), the Annual CASLA Conference, T+1 Transition FAQ resources, ESG guidance through GASLA membership, and a Resources Library containing market ecology papers and regulatory documentation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Canadian Data Dashboard A monthly analysis of the Canadian securities lending market produced in partnership with S&P Global Market Intelligence/DataLend, providing market metrics on lendable assets, value on loan, average fees, and revenue for institutional members and the public.
• Annual CASLA Conference on Canadian Securities Lending CASLA's flagship annual industry conference bringing together securities lending market professionals for keynote speakers, panel discussions, and networking on Canadian securities lending trends, regulations, and best practices.
• Global Framework for ESG and Securities Lending (GFESL) A global framework developed by GASLA providing practical guidance for evaluating securities lending in the context of ESG policies, covering voting rights, collateral, lending over record dates, short-side market participation, and transparency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Canada is the 2nd largest securities lending market globally
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Canadian Capital Markets Association (CCMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023CCMA and CASLA collaborate on T+1 settlement transition in Canada. CASLA's T+1 Subcommittee works with CCMA's T+1 Steering Committee and Operations Working Group. The transition target was May 27, 2024 in Canada.
• Global Alliance of Securities Lending Associations (GASLA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2021GASLA was formed in September 2021 by CASLA, ISLA, PASLA, RMA, and SASLA. It provides a single voice across global securities lending markets, advocating for transparent and standardized practices including ESG integration and digital evolution. GASLA has published the Global Framework for ESG and Securities Lending (GFESL) and the Best Practice Voting Guide.
• Global PSSLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020CASLA is a contributor to Global PSSL (Professional Sustainable Securities Lending), which advances sustainable securities lending through market leadership, research, educational innovation, international collaboration, and tangible impact.
• ISLA Council for Sustainable Finance (ICSF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2020Partnership formed to pursue the ICSF Vision & Mission of bringing all key stakeholders together to foster global sustainable securities lending and reinforce the broader sustainable finance agenda.
• International Securities Lending Association (ISLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner association for securities lending across regions. CASLA collaborates with ISLA on global initiatives including ESG frameworks and regulatory advocacy.
• ISLA AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional arm of ISLA covering the Americas. CASLA works with ISLA Americas on regional regulatory and market initiatives.
• Pan Asia Securities Lending Association (PASLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner association covering Asia-Pacific markets. PASLA collaborated on the original Global Framework for ESG and Securities Lending (GFESL) released in May 2021.
• South African Securities Lending Association (SASLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner association covering the South African market. SASLA participates in GASLA and collaborates on global ESG frameworks.
• Risk Management Association (RMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRMA collaborated with PASLA and ISLA on the original GFESL framework released in May 2021. RMA has also published white papers on ESG and securities lending including 'Complementary, not Conflicting: Securities Lending and ESG Coexist'.
• S&P Global Market Intelligence (DataLend)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to produce the Canadian Data Dashboard - a monthly analysis of the Canadian securities lending market using securities finance data. Dashboard launched in 2024 and provides market data on lendable assets, value on loan, and market trends.
• Bank of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASLA participates in Bank of Canada market consultancy initiatives. The Bank of Canada discusses the organization of the securities lending market in Canada through discussion papers. CASLA also collaborates on market infrastructure topics including Repo 2.0 and collateral management.
• TMX GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASLA works with TMX Group to explore ways to pair agent lenders that are long inventory in CDS with participants requiring securities to help fulfill sales.
• SIFMAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASLA engages with SIFMA to keep Canadian and U.S. securities lending markets aligned and share learnings from cross-border regulatory efforts.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA): SIFMA is the broad US securities industry trade association and a CASLA partner. It is a larger, broader-incumbent peer that also covers securities lending as part of a wider capital markets mandate.
• Risk Management Association (RMA): RMA is a broader trade association serving the risk management profession across banking. CASLA partnered with RMA on the GFESL framework, making RMA a thematically aligned peer with overlapping securities lending content.

Others

• EquiLend: EquiLend is a leading securities finance technology provider and CASLA's Forum Sponsor. It is an ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor, supplying trading, post-trade, data, and RegTech infrastructure to CASLA's members.
• DataLend (S&P Global Market Intelligence): DataLend is S&P Global Market Intelligence's securities finance data platform and CASLA's data partner for the Canadian Data Dashboard. It is an ecosystem data vendor rather than a trade association peer.

Direct peers

• International Securities Lending Association (ISLA): ISLA is the global trade association for the securities lending industry, headquartered in London. It is CASLA's most direct functional peer, mirroring CASLA's advocacy, education, and best-practice mandate across EMEA.
• Pan Asia Securities Lending Association (PASLA): PASLA is the regional securities lending association for Asia-Pacific. It is a direct peer under GASLA, with comparable advocacy, training, and ESG framework roles.
• ISLA Americas: ISLA Americas is the regional arm of ISLA covering the Americas. It is a direct peer that competes with CASLA for the attention of cross-border participants active in Canadian securities lending.
• South African Securities Lending Association (SASLA): SASLA is the regional securities lending association for South Africa and a GASLA co-founder. It operates with the same trade-association mandate as CASLA in its domestic market.

Regional players

• Managed Funds Association (MFA): MFA is the US-based hedge fund industry association. Its members are major securities lending borrowers, making it a thematically adjacent peer to CASLA's hedge fund constituency.
• Canadian Capital Markets Association (CCMA): CCMA is the Canadian capital markets infrastructure association. CASLA partnered with CCMA on T+1 settlement, making it a functionally adjacent peer addressing overlapping Canadian market participants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canseclend

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Canadian Securities Lending Association