The National Digital Asset Exchange (NDAX) is a cryptocurrency exchange in Canada that offers access to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, XRP, Cardano, and even stablecoins like Tether.
Cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity in recent years. While they remain a highly speculative asset, the unbelievable price increases exhibited by Bitcoin and several altcoins have led many retail and institutional investors to jump in despite the risks.
Canadians looking to trade the Canadian dollar fiat for crypto can access the marketplace using platforms such as NDAX, CoinSmart, Bitbuy, and Wealthsimple Crypto.
This NDAX review covers its pros and cons, fees, security, assets offered, and more.
Table of Contents
What is NDAX?
NDAX is a crypto-trading platform that was founded in 2018. Its headquarters is based in Calgary and it serves residents of Canada.
NDAX has some unique features compared to its competitors, including one of the largest selections of cryptocurrencies and low trading fees.
In addition to its standard trading platform, NDAX offers Over-The-Counter trading services to high-volume investors who want access to a deep liquidity pool. This service is called NDAX Wealth.
NDAX – Summary of Features
- Offers access to 23 coins including Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Ether, Cardano, USDC, and more
- Versatile platform designed for both beginners and experienced traders
- Free deposits and competitive fees for trading and withdrawals
- Registered as a Money Service Business (MSB) and subject to applicable FINTRAC regulatory frame work
- Offers email, chat, and phone support
How NDAX Works
NDAX offers instant ID verification which means you can start trading soon after creating an account.
To get started, you can sign up here. This link offers a $10 welcome bonus. You will need to provide your name, username, email address and password, and agree to the terms and conditions. You must also be the age of the majority in your province.
A confirmation email is sent to your inbox and you can activate your account by clicking on the link in the email.
Fill in the additional details required to verify your identity and phone number.
A valid government-issued ID is required and you can upload a passport, driver’s license, or ID Card. You will also need to submit a selfie.
Once your account is set up, you can fund it using Interac e-Transfer, bank wire, bank draft, and by depositing cryptocurrency.
Related: Top Crypto Trading Apps
Crypto Assets Available on NDAX
The coins available on NDAX are:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Dogecoin (DOGE)
- Ether (ETH)
- Cardano (ADA)
- XRP (XRP)
- Tether (USDT)
- Polkadot (DOT)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Chainlink (LINK)
- Stellar (XLM)
- EOS (EOS)
- Uniswap (UNI)
- Compound (COMP)
- Aave (AAVE)
- The Graph (GRT)
- Polygon (MATIC)
- USD Coin (USDC)
- Terra (LUNA)
- Decentraland (MANA)
- Axie Infinity (AXS)
- Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR)
- Fantom (FTM)
NDAX Fees
NDAX has one of the lowest trading fees/commissions among the Canada-based cryptocurrency trading platforms I have reviewed. It also has fast processing times for deposits and withdrawals.
The trading fee for buying and selling is a flat-rate 0.20%. Unlike many other crypto sites, you don’t pay a fee to deposit fiat.
For fiat withdrawals, the following fees apply:
| Funding Method | Deposit | Withdrawal | Fees | Processing Time |
| Interac e-Transfer | No min/max | N/A | $0 | 0-30 minutes |
| Wire Transfer | No min/max | No min/max | Free for deposits; $25 flat fee withdrawals | 0-1 business day |
| Bank draft | No min/max | No/max | Free for deposits; $25 flat fee for withdrawals | 0-1 business day |
Cryptocurrency deposits are free and occur instantly.
For crypto withdrawals, you pay:
- Bitcoin: 0.000399 BTC
- Litecoin: 0.0499 LTC
- Ether: 0.0099 ETH
- XRP: 3 XRP
- EOS: 1 EOS
- Stellar: 8 XLM
- Dogecoin: 10 DOGE
- Cardano: 3 ADA
- Chainlink: 0.35 LINK
- Tether: 3.5 USDT
- Polkadot: 0.3 DOT
- Tether: 16 USDT
- Uniswap: 0.3 UNI
- Compound: 0.015 COMP
- Aave: 0.025 AAVE
Pros and Cons of NDAX
Pros:
- Competitively low trading fees at 0.20%
- Deposits are free
- Instant verification is available to new clients
- Fast processing times for both deposits and withdrawals
- 24/7 customer support
- Good selection of coins available (17 types)
- Has a referral program
- Advanced order types including stop order, stop limit order, trailing stop order, and more
Cons:
- Accepts only CAD for fiat
- Only available to Canadian residents
Is NDAX Safe and Legit?
That said, NDAX is a legitimate company that is registered with the Financial Transactions and Reports and Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) as a Money Service Business.
As per its website, a majority of its digital assets are held offline in cold storage, and fiat is held at a Canadian financial institution.
The platform also adopts standard industry practices to protect your account including 2-factor authentication and DDoS mitigation.
For more details about what the platform has in place to protect your account, the risks you face, and their privacy terms, check the NDAX website.
Related: CoinSmart Canada Review
NDAX Referral Program
NDAX has a referral program that pays you up to $25 per referral. The program has three tiers: Avid, Ambassador, and Partner.
The tier you fall into is based on how many users join the platform using your NDAX affiliate link on a monthly rolling average basis. It also determined how much you earn.
- Avid (0-10 users); you both get $10
- Ambassador (10-20 users); referral gets $10, you get $15
- Partner (20+ users); referral gets $10, you get $25
NDAX vs. Bitbuy vs. CoinSmart
See how NDAX compares with Bitbuy, Coinsmart, and Wealthsimple Crypto below.
| Features | NDAX | CoinSmart | Wealthsimple Crypto | Bitbuy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coins offered | BTC, LTC, ETH, XRP, EOS, XLM, DOGE, ADA, LINK, USDT, DOT, UNI, COMP, AAVE, etc. (23 types) | BTC, ETH, XRP, USDT, XLM, LTC, NEO, QCAD, ADA | Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 30 others | BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH, EOS, XLM, XRP, AAVE |
| Funding options | Interac e-Transfer, bank wire, bank draft, crypto | Interac e-Transfer, bank wire, bank draft, credit card, crypto | Electronic fund transfer | Bank wire; Interac e-Transfer |
| Fees | 0.20% trading fee, free deposits, $25 flat rate for fiat withdrawal | 0.20% – 0.30% trading fee; variable fees for deposits and withdrawals | 1.5 – 2% trading fees; no fees for deposits and withdrawals | Up to 0.20% trading fees; variable fees for deposits and withdrawals (up to 1.5%) |
| CIPF/CDIC | No | No | No | No |
| Security | Cold storage policy; 2FA | Cold storage policy; 2FA | Crypto assets held with regulated custodian – Gemini | Cold storage policy; 2FA, bitcoin insurance |
| Referral program (sign up bonus) | $10 when you fund with $100 or more; up to $25/friend | $20 after $100 deposit | $50 after depositing and trading $150 | $20 when you make an initial deposit of $250 |
| Learn more | Visit NDAX | Visit CoinSmart | Visit Wealthsimple | Visit Bitbuy |
Related reading:
- Bitbuy Canada Review
- How To Buy Bitcoin
- Top Cryptocurrencies Like Bitcoin
- Bitbuy Referral Code 2021
- Coinsquare Canada Review
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is a volatile and speculative investment. If you decide to invest, we recommend you do your own research and only commit funds you can afford to lose. The author may own one or more of the crypto assets mentioned in this article.
NDAX review
Summary
NDAX is a cryptocurrency exchange in Canada for buying Bitcoin, dogecoin, and more. This NDAX review covers its fees, pros, cons, and whether it is safe.
Can you open a TFSA account to trade? Thanks.
@Jagdish: For TFSA/RRSP cryptocurrency investing options, you can look at crypto ETFs.
We have had a really unpleasant experience with NDAX and $20,000 that we tried to deposit into a new account. Their compliance team put a hold on the funds and we are still trying to get back our money.