Canada Bans Crypto Donations to Political Campaigns

Canada has decided to ban all cryptocurrency donations to political campaigns, following a similar move by the United Kingdom.

The new law, called Bill C-25, prohibits politicians from accepting donations in Bitcoin (digital money) or any other cryptocurrencies. The government says these digital currencies are too hard to track, making it difficult to know where the money really comes from.

What's actually changing: • Crypto donations (digital money like Bitcoin) will be illegal for all political campaigns • Money orders and prepaid cards are also banned • Politicians who accept these donations face fines up to $100,000 • The law covers all levels - from local candidates to major political parties

Interestingly, this ban addresses a problem that doesn't really exist in Canada. Since crypto donations were first allowed in 2019, no major political party has actually accepted them. The donations weren't eligible for tax breaks (money back from the government), so nobody bothered using crypto anyway.

Canada's Chief Electoral Officer (the person who oversees elections) had been warning about crypto donations for years. They worried that anonymous donors could use digital currencies to secretly influence elections, especially donors from other countries trying to meddle in Canadian politics.

The UK recently announced a similar ban, showing that governments worldwide are becoming more cautious about mixing cryptocurrency with politics.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2026/03/28/canada-moves-to-ban-crypto-donations-for-election-campaigns-following-uk