Connect with us

Also Interesting

A Historical Look at the CAD Currency and How it Affects Online Payments

Published

6 minute read

The Canadian dollar enjoys very good reputation in financial circles and is used more frequently than you might expect for the currency of a relatively small country. It’s not rare for online payments to be
accounted in CAD on many different websites ranging from e-commerce stores to online casino sites.

There are several reasons why this is the case, and to truly understand the role that the Canadian dollar plays on the international scene today we need to look back at the early days of this currency. Canada’s past and present relations with other nations has shaped how Canadian money is used, and continues to affect its value in the era of digital trading without borders.

Brief History of the Canadian Dollar

Before it became a sovereign nation, Canada was trapped economically between its colonial master and its large neighbor. During the colonial era, several North American provinces that are today part of Canada found it impractical to use imperial money and created their local versions of the US dollar. In 1858, the Canadian dollar was established and almost 10 years before Canada became a country, the burgeoning nation replaced local currencies with its own money.

Originally the Canadian dollar was tied to the gold standard, but this practice was disrupted during
World War I and completely discontinued in 1933. In the post-war period its value was sometimes
pegged to the US dollar, with the rate changing over time but never getting too far from parity. This too was deemed too limiting, and after the 1950s CAD was allowed to have a floating value based on supply and demand in the market.

Today, CAD 100 is worth around $US 75, so whenever prices are shown in Canadian dollars their cost in the American equivalent is around 25% lower. A similar rate is maintained on exchanges across the
world, and Canadian dollars can be swapped for practically any other currency. Canadian dollars are
currently available in bank notes worth between $1 and $1000, while coins are still available for smaller denominations. The Bank of Canada is considering the possibility of issuing a digital version of CAD in the future, but there are no immediate plans to do so.

How Is CAD Regarded Today in Global Trade

Throughout its existence, Canadian dollar has proven to be exceptionally stable. It never experienced
large fluctuations in value as consequence of hyperinflation or other economic problems, and its rate vs. the US dollar has remained roughly similar for decades. This is in part because Canadian economy is strongly connected with the US, but also because the country exercises good financial governance and manageable levels of public debt.

Due to its status as a reliable and convertible currency, CAD is readily used for international transactions that involve Canadian companies or government. It is frequently used between third parties as well.  However the CAD is not on the same level in this role as $US, Euro, or Pound Sterling and is more similar by volume to Swiss franc and Singapore dollar. Many foreign banks also prefer to keep a portion of their reserves in Canadian dollars because of the low likelihood of a sudden loss of value.

A case from 2012 provides a great illustration of the reputation for stability that Canadian dollar enjoys. During a financial crisis in Iceland, there was a proposal for the tiny island nation to adopt CAD as its legal tender. While the plan was eventually abandoned, the fact that a foreign nation had a higher opinion about Canadian currency then its own is very telling.

The Role of CAD in Online Payments

Much like in traditional trading, Canadian dollar plays a significant role in online commerce. For online transactions within Canada, CAD is the default currency but it is also commonly used to pay for goods or services distributed internationally. Almost all leading digital payment services such as PayPal or Skrill support transactions in CAD, which means money can be instantly sent anywhere in the world. That greatly benefits Canadian citizens and others who keep their money in CAD as it allows them to save on conversion fees.

The penetration of CAD on online marketplaces is also considerable, but less than ideal. In general, you can pay for a lot of things on the internet without conversion since many companies based
elsewhere in the world are happy to accept Canadian money. Many online casinos, like  these slots in Canada, list CAD as one of supported currencies so you can just deposit your cash and not worry about
the exchange rates.

It’s fair to say that Canada is already punching above its weight when it comes to facilitating online
trade, but it could do even better. A concerted effort to promote the use of CAD outside of the country
could create additional benefits for the economy and fortify the value of CAD against American dollar
and other top currencies. It will be interesting to see how a national currency that’s almost two
centuries old will adapt to the changing landscapes of online commerce.

Todayville Content Team works with a wide variety of clients to develop compelling content solutions. Our experienced team develops strategic campaigns that use video and storytelling, digital advertising and social media to help our clients position and distinguish themselves in the market.

Follow Author

More from this author

Also Interesting

The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

Published on

The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

  • the draft dragged on for hours;
  • there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
  • frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

Continue Reading

Also Interesting

60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on

When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

 

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.

Continue Reading

Trending

X