What a crypto trader does
A crypto trader buys and sells digital assets for a firm, its clients or a fund. The role varies by employer: an over-the-counter desk trader quotes and fills large client orders, a market maker provides liquidity on exchanges, and a fund or treasury trader executes a portfolio strategy. Most work across several venues at once, hedge with derivatives where permitted and watch liquidity, funding rates and settlement risk around the clock.
A disciplined trader protects your capital and your reputation with clients and counterparties. An undisciplined one can lose in an afternoon what the desk earned over months. Finch screens for traders who respect risk limits, record and explain their decisions, work well with compliance and operations, and understand the custody and counterparty questions that come with holding assets on exchanges and with service providers.
Typical responsibilities
- Execute trades across exchanges, OTC counterparties and liquidity providers
- Quote prices to clients and manage inventory within approved risk limits
- Hedge exposure using spot, futures or options where your mandate permits
- Monitor market liquidity, volatility, and counterparty and custody risk
- Reconcile positions and trades with operations and finance
- Support the trade surveillance and record-keeping requirements set by compliance
Qualifications and credentials
- A degree in finance, economics, mathematics, engineering or computer science is common
- Trading experience on a crypto, foreign exchange, equity or derivatives desk
- The Canadian Securities Course, or progress toward the CFA charter, is often valued
- Python or SQL skills for analysis, and familiarity with exchange APIs and execution tools
- Where your firm is registered with securities regulators, some trading roles may require individual registration and proficiency, so confirm requirements with your compliance team
Who hires a crypto trader
- Crypto trading platforms and OTC desks
- Market makers and proprietary trading firms
- Digital asset funds and investment managers
- Companies managing crypto treasury holdings
Where we recruit crypto trader candidates
We fill crypto trader roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Desk experience, trading style and the type of books they have handled
- How they set and respect stop-losses and risk limits, with specific examples
- Understanding of custody, settlement and counterparty risk across venues
- Personal trading habits and willingness to follow a personal trading policy
- Eligibility to work in Canada and availability for your hours and coverage needs
Interview questions to ask
- Tell me about your worst trading day. What happened, and what did you change afterwards?
- How would you work a large client order in a thin market without moving the price against them?
- How do you decide how much of your inventory to keep on any single exchange?