Information
How this directory works — and how to read it
Where the data comes from, what a registration category actually tells you, and how to verify any firm yourself. Start with the explorer below: it's built from the same live data as the directory.
Every category in the register, live
These are the official registration categories in the current register, sized from the actual data — the numbers update every time the directory data is refreshed. Click any category to see what it means in plain language and how many firms hold it.
Select a registration category above to see what it means.
Where the data comes from
Everything in the directory is drawn from the published list of firms registered with Canadian securities regulators — the same public register compliance professionals use. We refresh the site from the source file each month, and the source file name is shown at the top of the directory so you always know which edition you're looking at.
The register records four things per firm: its legal name, its NRD number (a unique identifier assigned by the regulators), its registration categories, and the provinces and territories where it is registered. It does not include addresses, contact details, websites, or leadership — where a firm profile shows those, they were added separately from public sources and are clearly distinguished from the register data.
The register tells you a firm is allowed to operate — it does not vouch for the firm, rank it, or describe what it invests in. Treat it as a starting point for your own verification, never a substitute for it.
How to read a registration category
Registration categories describe what a firm is permitted to do — not what it invests in, and not how good it is. Four ideas unlock all 21 categories:
Dealers sell. Advisers manage. Fund managers operate.
A dealer is registered to trade securities or sell them to investors. An adviser (portfolio manager) is registered to manage investments or give advice. An investment fund manager is registered to run the business of a fund itself. Many firms hold more than one registration.
“Exempt market” means sold without a prospectus.
Public offerings require a prospectus — a detailed disclosure document. The exempt market is where securities are sold under exemptions from that requirement, usually to investors who meet specific criteria. Exempt market dealers are the registered firms permitted to sell there.
“Restricted” means limited by conditions.
A restricted dealer or restricted portfolio manager operates under specific terms and conditions imposed by the regulators. Crypto asset trading platforms, for example, are commonly registered as restricted dealers. The restrictions are listed on the firm's public record.
“Exemption” categories are foreign firms with limited permissions.
Categories ending in “— Exemption” are international firms operating in Canada under an exemption from full registration. They are generally limited to dealing with institutional (“permitted”) clients, not the public — which is why over half the register is made up of them.
Our plain-language groups
To make the directory browsable, we group the 21 official categories into seven plain-language filters. The grouping is ours — a navigation aid, not a regulatory concept — and every firm's official categories are always shown on its card. Click any group to open it in the directory.
Counts are live from the current data file. A firm can belong to more than one group.
Verify a firm yourself
Before dealing with any firm — from this directory or anywhere else — spend five minutes confirming its status directly with the regulators. It's free and public:
Look the firm up by name or NRD number on the CSA's National Registration Search. Confirm it appears, and that its status is active.
Make sure the firm is registered in your province, in a category that matches what it's offering you. A firm registered only as a fund manager is not registered to sell you securities.
Some registrations carry conditions that limit what the firm may do. These are listed on the firm's record.
Search the CSA's disciplined list and cease-trade order databases for past enforcement action involving the firm or its principals.
Fraudsters impersonate registered firms. Verify contact details independently — through the register, not through the person who approached you.
Corrections
If a listing here doesn't match the official register, the register wins — always rely on it over us. The underlying data is maintained by the regulators, not by this site: we can fix how information is displayed, but we can't change a firm's official record.
Spot an error in how we've presented something? We'd genuinely like to know, and we'll correct it in the next refresh.