The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) will join the Ontario Securities Commission in overseeing the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), the commission announced Friday.
The CSE, which is operated by Toronto-based CNSX Markets Inc., has grown in the past few years, driven largely by cannabis listings, and now has about 500 companies trading shares on its platform.
“The B.C. Securities Commission brings extensive knowledge and experience to the public venture markets by virtue of its long history regulating the junior mining sector and overseeing the TSX Venture Exchange with the Alberta Securities Commission,” said Brenda Leong, chairwoman and CEO, BCSC, in a release. “We believe we can add significant value to supporting venture financing on CSE and managing issues unique to early-stage companies.”
“We look forward to collaborating with the OSC to oversee the CSE,” added Peter Brady, executive director, BCSC.
“The CSE is home to a large number of public companies domiciled in British Columbia,” said Richard Carleton, CEO of the CSE, in a statement. “We will continue to work closely with our colleagues from the BCSC to enhance our collective investor protection efforts and access to capital for B.C.-based entrepreneurs.”