National Bank of Canada

Universal bank · Montreal, Canada

National Bank of Canada is the sixth largest Canadian bank and the largest bank in Quebec, headquartered in Montreal with 33,200 employees. It completed the CA$5 billion acquisition of Canadian Western Bank on 3 February 2025, extending its commercial banking reach across Western Canada. Business packages start at $7 a month for unlimited digital transactions and rise to $100 a month for the Premium package, with foreign currency accounts in 15 currencies and a Global Trade Solutions platform for letters of credit and guarantees. Outside Canada it owns Natbank in Florida and ABA Bank in Cambodia, and it holds a majority stake in the open banking data firm Flinks.

Legal name: National Bank of Canada
Regulated by: OSFI (Canada), FCAC (Canada), AMF (Quebec), FINRA and SEC (National Bank of Canada Financial Inc., US), National Bank of Cambodia (ABA Bank)
Licence confirmed: yes, on a regulator's own list
Established: 1859
Website: www.nbc.ca

Scores, 0 to 10

9.0Canada

Sixth largest Canadian bank with full domestic rails, online business account opening and national reach expanded by the February 2025 Canadian Western Bank acquisition. · source

7.5Financial strength & stability

Senior debt rated A2, A-, A+ and AA (low) with stable outlooks and an S&P upgrade in October 2025; it is a Canadian D-SIB. · source

6.5Business cards (Visa, Mastercard)

All four National Bank business credit cards are Mastercard, with monthly spending limit management and cards issuable to several employees. · source

6.0Lowest fees

Digital Business Package is $7 a month with unlimited digital transactions and free with an eligible credit card, while the Premium package is $100 a month. · source

6.0Startups & VC-backed companies

NAventures invests in early to mid-stage fintech companies and the bank took a majority stake in Flinks, but there is no published venture debt programme comparable to CIBC Innovation Banking. · source

6.0Trade, manufacturing & import-export

Issues documentary credits, letters of guarantee and standby LCs with published fees (standard text issuance $200) and supply chain financing on the Global Trade Solutions platform. · source

6.0On-ramp: buy crypto with fiat

An August 2026 review ranks National Bank first among Canadian banks for funding registered crypto platforms, with Interac e-Transfer limits of CAD 4,000 per 25 hours and CAD 14,000 per 7 days and no published crypto block; evidence is about personal accounts and nothing is published for business clients. · source

5.5Fintech companies that need a partner bank

Invested CA$103 million in the financial data aggregator Flinks in August 2021 for a majority stake and runs the NAventures corporate venture arm. · source

5.5Online businesses: e-commerce and SaaS

Payment processing for SMEs, including an mPOS solution, is offered through a third-party acquiring partner rather than an in-house acquirer. National Bank offers 15 foreign currency accounts including USD, EUR, GBP and CNY, but publishes no API or accounting integrations for small businesses. · source

5.5Off-ramp: crypto to fiat in a business account

No report of National Bank refusing exchange proceeds was found, but it publishes no source-of-funds process for crypto money arriving in business accounts; evidence is thin, checked September 2026. · source

5.0Cross-border payments, FX and multi-currency accounts

Foreign currency accounts cover the 15 most common currencies with wire and multi-payment services, but FX margins are not published. Offers foreign currency accounts in 15 currencies and a Global Trade Solutions platform with real-time tracking, but no multi-country cash pooling. · source

5.0Fast digital onboarding

Business accounts can be opened online, including with partners, but online identification requires an existing account at an eligible Canadian financial institution. · source

4.5Latin America, Africa & South Asia

Wholly owns ABA Bank in Cambodia (90% acquired in 2016, 100% by 2019), giving it a licensed emerging-market subsidiary in one country. · source

4.5Best interest on business balances

Business Investment Account pays 1.25% to 1.70% in CAD depending on balance tier, including a 0.05% rate bonus. · source

4.0Foreign-owned & non-resident companies

Online business account applications require access to an active personal account at a Canadian financial institution and cannot be finalized online. · source

4.0Bitcoin

National Bank Direct Brokerage does not allow direct bitcoin trading but lets clients trade ETFs that track crypto, which is price exposure only. · source

4.0Ethereum

Ether is reachable only through crypto-linked ETFs on National Bank Direct Brokerage, with no spot ether, transfers or staking. · source

3.5United States

US presence is limited to Natbank with three Florida branches and the Credigy consumer finance unit, so there is no nationwide US business banking. · source

3.5Customer satisfaction

Trustpilot is 1.3 from 169 reviews, app ratings are 4.8 (iOS) and 4.7 (Android), and J.D. Power 2025 placed it third among midsize banks behind Tangerine and Simplii. · source

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

National Bank 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

3.5Stablecoins (USDC, USDT and others)

National Bank invested in Tetra Digital Group in September 2025, moved the CADD stablecoin with Wealthsimple on testnet in December 2025 and is a backer and network participant of CADD, launched by Tetra Trust on 4 May 2026; no stablecoin account or payout for business clients is published. · source

2.5Crypto-friendly bank

National Bank Direct Brokerage does not allow direct trading of cryptocurrencies, and the bank publishes no policy for banking crypto firms. · source

1.0Crypto wallet and custody for a business

National Bank offers no crypto wallet or custody to clients; a September 2026 job posting shows its capital markets arm is still building institutional digital asset custody and settlement capabilities, not offering them. · source

1.0Accept crypto payments

National Bank publishes no crypto or stablecoin acceptance for merchants, checked 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.