Governments need to work with decentralized currencies, it’s time to get on board Adam Follow Apr 9 · 8 min read

This is an all-too-familiar sentiment from government to Canada’s startup (specifically bitcoin-startup) community.

On March 27th, 2020 the Prime Minister proudly announced a $40,000 government backed loan.

“For small businesses, there’s a $40,000 loan of which $10,000 will not have to be repaid if they meet certain conditions. There are many things we’re doing out there with low interest or no interest loans to help businesses get through this, but the wage subsidy and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for people who lose their jobs are going to be there to make sure that we come through this strongly.” ref

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a news conference while in self-isolation at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa Friday, March 13, 2020. (Fred Chartrand/The Canadian Press)

I, like many small business owners, let out a sigh of relief as we have all seen revenues vanish over the previous weeks following the necessary public health measures put into place. That $40,000 meant one more payroll run. Maybe it made up for the payables or rent that was coming due in 4 days. A $40,000 injection of “worry-about-it-later” money would mean breathing room. The equivalent of a pool noodle while wading in the middle of the ocean. Enough to keep you thinking “you can do this”.

Banking is hard to come by as a bitcoin/fintech startup. We are not “welcomed into the traditional banking atmosphere with open arms” regardless of our balance sheets or longevity. Even the bank for Alberta’s Entrepreneurs (which promotes their “blockchain friendliness”) refuses to work with businesses that touch cryptocurrency.

Hi Adam — hope all is well. What is wrong with the markets and BTC as a safe haven ? You did mention a few months ago that we will see sub $6k soon and I wasn’t sure how … well you were right. You are an Oracle. Regarding banking — When me and [redacted ATB employee] met you, we extended the offer to help out and support your retail banking needs. You decided not to take it. I just heard back from our Compliance team that their Pause extends to all retail accounts as well. Basically, anything that touches crypto / even personal accounts is not supported right now. Unfortunately, I can’t help and I am sorry. Hopefully, if the markets turn positive / and pause is lifted / I can try to seek support for your retail and business needs. For now, it is a full stop. I am also moving to a new role at ATB this week and not sure who would manage the crypto portfolio. I will keep you looped in. best, [redacted ATB employee]

So forget ATB, I thought SURELY the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) would be there to lend a helping hand during this unprecedented economic and health crisis. The fact that our revenue dropped nearly 70% week-over-week with the onset of the pandemic, and the fact that I have paid well into the six figures in provincial and federal taxes last year would mean that, during these hard times, Canada’s Small and Medium Sized Business saviour wouldn’t be as prejudiced. I was wrong. One week after my application went unanswered I was put in touch with a rep through a personal connection of mine. Within minutes a chipper response pinged my inbox:

Hi Adam Happy to try and help you. Can you send 2 years of Financial statements to me and: How much do you need? What are your revenue expectations during and after the crisis — do you have a budget and cashflow projections? What would be your ball park cash burn rate per month for the next few months/ Thanks — when I get these I will see if it will be me or another colleague that will be able to help and then we will reach out to arrange a zoom chat. Best,

Moments later, before I could prepare the info, he followed up (even threw in an emoji)

Hi Again — more info below Best This is the latest from CRA and all the links you’ll need to understand and apply😊 https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/campaigns/covid-19-update/frequently-asked-questions-wage-subsidy-small-businesses.html#h2 https://www.bakertilly.ca/en/btc/publications/taxflash-temporary-wage-subsidy-for-employers https://www.taxtemplates.ca/wage-subsidy/

I thought we had it. I thought my country 🇨🇦 was coming to my rescue to help me and my 11-person locally-employed team pay the bills for a few more weeks. Until I received a third follow up…

Hi Adam I just reached out to our Tech Finance Manager and unfortunately we are unable to Bitcoin clients as our board has deemed them ineligible due to potential money laundering. I am very sorry — this is news to me. Being a Crown Corp we have very strict rules. I think you can still access some Federal support though via some of the links I sent earlier. Best Wishes to you and yours,

Potential. Money. Laundering.

You’ll notice he does not ask for my documentation (FINTRAC Registration as a Money Services Business) which should be the first step to verifying that our business goes above and beyond to prevent the money laundering that they claim to be concerned about. Despite sending him our industry-leading policies and FINTRAC Registration the final response was polite but stern:

Morning — Thx for the info. Policy such as this are from the Board of Dir’s and Minister of Industry. But things change — I now have hemp clients. It will take time though. When we get to the other side, I would love to have a beer with you and [redacted personal connection name] and learn more about your biz and future. I personally believe crypto will be a important solution in rebuilding the world economy. Best,

And that was apparently that. However, you don’t get to be one of Canada’s leading Bitcoin ATM companies without a little bit of grit and resilience. So I tried again through conventional channels. This time the response was just as useless but even more robotic (you’ll notice they spelled my last name wrong…)

Dear Mr. O`Brian, Thank you for submitting a request for financing. After examination of your application, we regret to inform you that BDC is not able to provide financing for your business. We understand how deeply the COVID-19 situation is affecting. However, we are unable to respond positively to your request that does not meet the eligibility criteria. An evolving situation As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, BDC’s response is evolving as well and we are working closely with government, financial institutions and our partners. Ensure that you have spoken to your primary financial institution to see if they are able to help with financing: As you may know, additional measures to support entrepreneurs have been announced by the Government of Canada, including anew Canada Emergency Business Account as well as a SME Loan and Guarantee Program. As these programs are not administered by BDC, your primary financial institution is best suited to assess if you may benefit from these relief measures as they get deployed shortly. For the latest updates by the Government of Canada on COVID-19, visitResources for Canadian businesses: COVID-19. Thank you,

This response left me frustrated. How could it not? How could our small, innovative, and incredibly compliant business not be within the “guidelines” set out by Mr Trudeau last week? My response was heated:

This is extremely frustrating. The fact that I am denied help, despite paying 100s of thousands in taxes, is discouraging. Why do you take my tax money, but then deny my eligibility based on “crown rules”. The eligibility criteria of BDC should be companies that are striving to employ local workers with cutting edge business practices and revolutionizing the world. All of which we do (and have been doing for 7 years) I know you will cite “compliance”, and yet refuse to look at my compliance manual. A policy that was written by a previous compliance officer from a schedule 1 “big 5” bank. A policy that has been approved by 2 third party auditors. A policy finalized by my Chief Compliance Officer with 10+ years as a compliance master who has prevented millions of dollars worth of fraud AND played a key role investigating. It is disappointing to see you promoting the narrative that you are “for entrepreneurs” when in fact I have found it to be quite the opposite. We are a licensed money service business and I personally spend my time working with local authorities educating them how to prevent fraud within this space. Yet somehow I’ve been labeled “ineligible” for assistance when I really need it. What is the point of innovating? Is “the first guy through the wall gets the bloodiest” really the narrative you support? “Don’t think outside the box because we don’t like that?” The prejudice of the BDC towards alternative financial companies is disappointing to say the least. I would appreciate your response, though if past experience has taught me anything I know better than to expect one. Perhaps the Canadian business environment is not one that is as friendly as you promote. Stay healthy, Adam

As you might have guessed this went unanswered (though the robots did manage to regurgitate the exact same original message) and here we are. My initial sentiment from the most recent response to the BDC remain. What is the point of innovating? Why do I spend tens of thousands of dollars every single year to ensure that our compliance is industry-leading? Why do I spend hours and hours working (for free) with local authorities to educate them about Bitcoin and how to prevent fraud? Why do I stretch my hand out so far only to have it slapped when I am looking for the same support everyone else is getting? I’ve endured years of prejudice from the traditional banking industry. I’ve built an incredibly successful business that exclusively employs local labour even though it would be all too “easy” to off-shore the work. We’ve paid our taxes, donated to the community all without the help of the bank’s lending products, but being denied support relief during this unprecedented crisi due to “potential money laundering” is as prejudicial as it gets.

All of this to ask, Mr. Morneau, will these subsidies affect my taxes? I understand the economic cash injection. As a whole, I am onboard with the injection to help stimulate the economy. But we all know who will end up paying for it. We all know that money doesn’t grow on trees (it’s printed dummy) and that it will eventually have to be paid back in some capacity… which will eventually be through increased taxes. Taxes that hard-working citizens continue to pay every year. If only you knew how much you were contributing to Bitcoin’s adoption…

Finally, dear reader, I beg you to think. Listen to my story and ask yourself “is my industry next?” “Can I trust them with my taxes… can I trust them with my money?” I fully believe what I am experiencing is a direct extension of the reason Bitcoin was created. Bitcoin exists to give its owners choice. A choice that doesn’t exist with fiat money, printed at will by a centralized body of power. Right now the majority of “industry” is getting help, the government is listening to their people. I am unfortunately in the minority. My business is too edgy. My business is too “risky”. My business doesn’t deserve help. Will your industry, your business, your pension, your family be next?