On April 30, 2021, the federal government introduced An Act Respecting Retail Payment Activities (short title, Retail Payment Activities Act) (the “RPAA”). The much-anticipated RPAA comes in response to a consultation paper published by the Department of Finance in 2017, for a “New Retail Payments Oversight Framework” (the “2017 Consultation Paper”). We discuss the 2017 Consultation Paper here. The RPAA signals the government’s continued willingness to regulate new and increasingly complex “retail payment activities” driven by innovative payment methods and technologies. The RPAA will serve as the first regulatory regime for retail payment providers in Canada. Not surprisingly, it comes in the midst of a broader regulatory response by a government focused on protecting consumers, fostering competition and promoting innovation in the digital age. Further evidence of this broader strategy can be observed in other recent legislative proposals like the