Cedar Money Is Now Registered Under Canada's Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA)

5 min read

We're excited to announce that Cedar Money is now officially registered with the Bank of Canada under the Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA).

This builds on our existing regulatory foundation, alongside our registrations with FINTRAC in Canada and FinCEN in the United States, and marks another step in how we continue to strengthen the platform as we scale globally.

It reinforces our commitment to operating with the highest standards of compliance and transparency, and positions Cedar to scale globally while protecting the businesses that depend on us.

If you're using Cedar to move money across borders, this registration directly benefits you. Here's why it matters.

What Is the RPAA?

Canada's Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA) is a comprehensive regulatory framework introduced by the Government of Canada to oversee payment service providers (PSPs) operating in the Canadian market.

In practice, the RPAA requires payment service providers to register with the Bank of Canada, demonstrate operational and financial stability, implement rigorous compliance programs, and maintain high standards of transparency and security.

For businesses like Cedar Money that facilitate cross-border payments, RPAA registration signals that we meet the regulatory standards expected of financial institutions operating in one of the world's most respected and stable financial markets.

What RPAA Registration Means for Cedar Customers

1. Added confidence in your payment infrastructure

If you're running a business that depends on cross-border payments, you need infrastructure you can trust.

RPAA registration means that Cedar's platform has been evaluated and approved by the Bank of Canada, one of the world's most respected financial regulators. This isn't self-certification; it's external validation that Cedar meets rigorous standards for operational stability, transparency, and consumer protection.

For you, this translates into:

  • Peace of mind: Your payments are processed on a platform that meets institutional-grade regulatory standards
  • Reduced risk: Cedar's compliance framework protects you from the risks associated with unregulated or under-regulated payment providers
  • Trust at scale: Whether you're processing $500,000 monthly or $30 million monthly, you're operating on infrastructure designed to handle institutional-grade volume with regulatory oversight

2. No change to what you love about Cedar

Here's what RPAA registration doesn't change:

  • Speed: We're still settling payments in under 24 hours.
  • Transparency: No hidden fees, no surprise FX markups. What you see is what you pay.
  • Control: You still have full control over your FX strategy with tools that enable you to hold USD and send you notifications when rates hit your set target for specific currency pairs.
  • Coverage: We still support payments across 190+ countries and collections from 9 African markets.
  • Ease of use: The same streamlined dashboard, intuitive workflows, and responsive support you've come to expect.

RPAA registration strengthens the foundation beneath these features; it doesn't slow them down or complicate them. You get the same Cedar experience, now backed by an even stronger regulatory framework.

3. Long-term stability as Cedar scales

As Cedar grows, adding new markets, new features, and new partnerships, RPAA registration ensures we're scaling responsibly.

For you, this means:

  • Cedar isn't going anywhere: Regulatory compliance is a key indicator of business stability. Platforms that operate outside regulatory frameworks face a higher risk of disruption, shutdowns, or service interruptions.
  • Your platform scales with you: As your business grows and your payment volumes increase, Cedar's infrastructure (regulatory, operational, and technical) is built to grow with you.
  • Future-proofing: As global regulatory standards continue to tighten (especially around cross-border payments and stablecoins), Cedar is ahead of the curve, not playing catch-up.

Cedar was built on a simple premise: cross-border payments should be fast, transparent, and reliable. But speed without compliance is unsustainable. And compliance without speed is irrelevant.

With RPAA registration, alongside our FINTRAC and FinCEN registrations, we’re continuing to build both– a platform that moves quickly and meets the standards required to operate globally.

Thank you for trusting Cedar with your cross-border payments. We're committed to building infrastructure that not only moves fast but also meets the highest standards of security, compliance, and reliability.

Here's to continued growth, yours and ours.

Introducing the Cedar Money App!
The Cedar Money App is now available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store!

Download now and manage your business payments effortlessly, anytime, anywhere.
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