CIBC

Universal bank · Toronto, Canada

CIBC was formed in 1961 by the merger of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and the Imperial Bank of Canada and is headquartered at CIBC Square in Toronto. It serves about 15 million clients with four units: Canadian personal and business banking, Canadian commercial banking and wealth, US commercial banking and wealth through CIBC Bank USA in Chicago, and capital markets. Business clients get operating accounts from $6 a month, an online application that takes about 30 minutes for Canadian residents, import and export letters of credit, FX online, and a venture debt unit, CIBC Innovation Banking, with over $11 billion in funds managed. Outside North America it runs branches in London, Hong Kong and Singapore for corporate clients and owns 91.7% of CIBC Caribbean, which operates in 10 countries.

Legal name: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Regulated by: OSFI (Canada), FCAC (Canada), FINTRAC (Canada), FDIC and Illinois DFPR (CIBC Bank USA), PRA/FCA (CIBC UK Branch and CIBC World Markets plc), HKMA (CIBC Hong Kong Branch), MAS (CIBC Singapore Branch), Central Bank of Barbados and other Caribbean regulators (CIBC Caribbean)
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 1961
Website: www.cibc.com

Scores, 0 to 10

10.0Canada

Big Five Schedule I bank with online business account opening, full Interac, EFT and Lynx access, and a separate US dollar current account. · source

8.0Startups & VC-backed companies

CIBC Innovation Banking provides venture debt and growth capital, with over $11 billion in funds managed across North America, the UK and select European countries. · source

8.0Financial strength & stability

Ratings of AA, Aa2, A+ and AA+ with stable outlooks; CIBC is a Canadian D-SIB, not a G-SIB, and paid US$42 million in US record-keeping penalties in 2024. · source

7.5Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

CIBC issues Visa and Mastercard business cards, and Business Plus accounts get virtual cards and spend controls through Visa Spend Clarity. · source

6.5United States

CIBC Bank USA, headquartered at 120 South LaSalle in Chicago, provides commercial banking and wealth management with ACH and Fedwire access, but it is a regional franchise rather than a nationwide retail bank. · source

6.5Trade, manufacturing & import-export

Offers import and export letters of credit, standby LCs and guarantees through regional processing centres and a global correspondent network. · source

6.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

CIBC Foreign Exchange Online lets businesses order foreign currency wires and drafts, with spot, forwards, NDFs, swaps and options available, but the number of currencies and margins are not published. Global Transaction Banking offers cash management, trade and working capital finance and correspondent banking through an international network, but no multi-country cash pooling is published. · source

5.5Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

CIBC offers its own merchant services for card payment processing with dedicated account management support, but no multi-currency collection accounts or marketplace payouts. CIBC offers a US dollar business account and FX Online; other foreign currency operating accounts require booking a meeting. · source

5.0Lowest fees

Basic Business Operating Account is $6 a month with $1.00 to $1.25 per transaction; outgoing wires cost $30 to $80 and incoming wires $15. · source

5.0Fast digital onboarding

Online application takes about 30 minutes, but only for Canadian residents with at least 25% ownership in businesses registered and operating in Canada. · source

5.0On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

An August 2026 review of Canadian banks reports that CIBC e-Transfers to FINTRAC-registered exchanges settle quickly with a CAD 30,000 monthly ceiling and few flags, while CIBC blocks crypto purchases on credit cards; this is retail practitioner evidence, not a business policy. · source

4.5Latin America, Africa & South Asia

CIBC Caribbean, 91.7% owned by CIBC, runs corporate, business and personal banking in 10 Caribbean countries after cutting its footprint from 18 countries and 72 branches to 45. · source

4.5Best interest on business balances

The Business Investment Growth Account pays tiered interest linked to the CIBC prime rate (4.45% as of 1 September 2026), with a promotional rate on new deposits up to $5 million between 1 September and 30 November 2026. · source

4.5Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

A 2026 bank review reports that CIBC may review e-Transfers and wires linked to crypto, blocking some and releasing others after verification, and no business source-of-funds process is published, so evidence is thin and retail. · source

4.0United Kingdom

CIBC UK Branch and CIBC World Markets plc at 150 Cheapside are authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA, serving corporate and institutional clients only. · source

4.0Asia-Pacific (SG, HK, AU, JP, KR)

CIBC has bank branches in Hong Kong (with a published HK branch disclosure statement) and Singapore plus offices in Sydney, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai, all for corporate and institutional clients. · source

4.0Fintech companies that need a partner bank

CIBC has a digital assets team and the Simplii Financial direct bank, but publishes no safeguarding, BaaS or sponsor-bank offering for payment firms. · source

4.0Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

CIBC's business account offers are open to legal residents of Canada who founded an eligible Canadian business. · source

3.5Crypto-friendly bank

CIBC hired a head of digital asset platforms and is building enterprise digital asset capabilities, but publishes no policy for onboarding crypto exchanges or VASPs. · source

3.5High-risk verticals (iGaming, cannabis, adult, forex)

CIBC publishes no prohibited-industries list on its business pages and was not named in the Globe and Mail survey of banks serving cannabis producers. · source

3.5Bitcoin

Investor's Edge clients can buy spot bitcoin ETFs, including in registered accounts, but CIBC offers no bitcoin custody or transfers, per its June 2026 guide. · source

3.5Ethereum

The same June 2026 guide says Investor's Edge accounts can hold ETFs tracking ether, which is price exposure only, with no ether custody or transfers. · source

3.0Europe (EU, EEA, Switzerland)

CIBC lists a Luxembourg office under its international capital markets business, with no EU SME banking or SEPA accounts. · source

3.0Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot is 1.2 from 2,059 reviews, while the app scores 4.3 on the Apple App Store and J.D. Power 2025 ranked CIBC second among the Big 5 with 607 points. · source

1.5Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

CIBC offers no stablecoin service and is not among the 21 banks in the September 2026 stablecoin venture; its May 2026 digital assets hire is to develop new crypto products that were not live when checked. · source

1.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

CIBC's own June 2026 Investor's Edge guide states that CIBC does not offer cryptocurrency accounts or wallets, and no business custody exists, checked September 2026. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

No crypto or stablecoin acceptance for merchants was found; CIBC hired a head of digital assets in May 2026 to build crypto products, none launched by September 2026. · source

Sources

Built on public information and the BankStore team's own aggregated experience; no confidential client or partner data. Bank Index and BankStore are not banks. This is information, not financial advice.