Latham & Watkins advises the businesses and institutions that power the global economy. We bring together the world’s best legal talent in every major jurisdiction to shape the deals and win the disputes that transform markets. Our experience at the cutting edge of commercial, financial, and legal innovation enables us to deliver results that fuel our clients’ success.  

Latham’s multidisciplinary fintech team helps clients around the globe, from fintech startups to major financial institutions, navigate a fast-evolving legal and regulatory landscape. We draw on vast experience across financial regulatory, corporate, litigation, and tech capabilities to help fintech-focused clients innovate, invest, and thrive. 


Asia

Simon Hawkins leads Latham & Watkins’ financial regulatory practice in Asia and co-chairs the firm’s Digital Assets & Web3 Practice. An experienced and trusted advisor to financial institutions and fintech companies, Mr. Hawkins advises a full range of financial industry and fintech clients — from traditional commercial and investment banks, private equity firms, broker/dealers, and insurers to innovative fintech companies, including payments companies, crypto exchanges and custodians, token issuers, and Metaverse and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects.

Farhana Sharmeen, head of the firm’s Singapore law practice, advises clients globally on complex cross-border transactions with a Singapore nexus. Ms. Sharmeen combines over 20 years of extensive cross-discipline expertise and a sophisticated understanding of Singapore’s regulatory landscape to guide financial institutions and companies on corporate and finance transactions, compliance, and governance matters.


Europe

Stuart Davis, Co-Chair of the Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice, counsels clients on the UK and cross-border regulatory aspects of cutting-edge fintech initiatives, including technology innovations in legislation, market infrastructure, tokenization, trading, clearing and settlement, lending (including crowdfunding), payments, and regulatory surveillance.

Markus Krüger advises a broad spectrum of German and international clients on complex mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus on private equity transactions and transactions involving fintech and the financial industry. Mr. Krüger also frequently represents clients in corporate restructurings and general corporate law matters and has significant expertise with bank regulatory and restructuring matters.

Fiona Maclean advises clients on data privacy compliance and IT and business processing transactions, with a focus on cloud computing and data strategy. She brings a unique cross-section of knowledge and experience spanning data, technology, and commercial contracts to help clients navigate complex, multijurisdictional transactions within the broader framework of data privacy laws. Her work at the nexus of the commercial and data worlds includes advising on operational resiliency risks and regulatory requirements, including some of the global market’s most transformational cloud deals.

Christian McDermott, an experienced technology lawyer, advises clients on large-scale technology contracts, commercial collaborations, and fintech and payments transactions. Mr. McDermott guides global and UK-based financial institutions — as well as publicly listed, private, and emerging companies — on technology development, use, and commercialization.

Andrew Moyle, Global Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Fintech Industry Group and head of the firm’s Outsourcing Practice, draws on more than 25 years of experience to advise clients around the world on technology-related commercial contracts and collaborations, outsourcing, digital and disruptive technology, telecommunications technology, enterprise systems, and cloud computing. He serves as Latham’s senior executive-level representative on the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s Blockchain Council.


Middle East

Brian Meenagh advises clients in matters involving complex technology transactions, projects, and joint ventures; procurement and sourcing, including outsourcing and offshoring; data privacy and cybersecurity compliance; and fintech and blockchain technology. He primarily represents customers procuring technology and services in such transactions and has significant experience advising against major technology and software vendors active in the Middle East. Before training as a solicitor, Mr. Meenagh was a business and IT analyst at Accenture, where he worked on outsourcing, business transformation, systems integration, and software development projects for blue chip companies and UK central government.


US

Jenny E. Cieplak advises financial services clients on a range of corporate, intellectual property, and regulatory issues arising in fintech and other technology transactions. Ms. Cieplak provides broad-based corporate counsel to financial institutions, investors, startups, and newly created consortiums. She advises clients on collaborative arrangements between users and creators of market infrastructure initiatives designed to transform sectors of the financial industry, including joint development, investment, and governance agreements. She leverages insights into the technology development process, financial industry users’ needs, and the legal issues surrounding new technologies’ creation to provide clients with a unique skill set and perspective.

Arthur S. Long advises clients on all aspects of financial institutions regulation. Mr. Long draws on extensive industry knowledge to help non-US and US financial institutions navigate the regulatory aspects of M&A and capital markets transactions, bank regulatory compliance issues, Dodd-Frank issues, resolution planning, and Volcker Rule issues with respect to bank proprietary trading and private equity fund/hedge fund operations. He also counsels fintech companies on the regulatory issues that relate to their businesses, as well as advises on virtual currency and blockchain technology regulation.

Nima H. Mohebbi, recognized as a leading trial lawyer, advocates for innovators and global market leaders. He represents some of the world’s most influential technology companies, studios, and artists in disputes and transactions with billions of dollars at stake, including in several highly publicized jury trials. Mr. Mohebbi counsels on complex and unsettled issues in connection with the growing intersection between entertainment content development and technology, including digital assets, AI, gaming, and intellectual property. He provides clients strong representation, whether through oral advocacy in a dispute or when negotiating a transaction. As a decisive strategist he focuses relentlessly on achieving optimal results.

Parag Patel advises financial services companies, financial institutions, and fintechs on transactional and regulatory matters, with a particular focus on emerging payments, innovative technology, consumer and small-business lending, and banking. Mr. Patel guides banks, non-bank lenders, payments and technology companies, and their vendors on regulatory compliance, supervision, money transmission, lending, anti-fraud and anti-money laundering, and transactional matters.

Marlon Paz counsels broker-dealers and other financial services firms in matters related to securities regulation, regulatory enforcement, internal investigations and examinations, and compliance. He also helps clients navigate acquisitions of brokers, dealers, and investment advisers. Mr. Paz brings clients seasoned and insightful advice drawing on his experience as a senior official at the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 

Yvette Valdez, Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Commodities and Derivatives Regulation and Enforcement Practice, head of the US Derivatives Regulatory Practice, and Co-Chair of the Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice, advises emerging companies, financial institutions, and investment managers on complex regulatory challenges in developing bespoke financial crypto-asset and cryptocurrency technologies. Ms. Valdez’s experience spans token sales, market infrastructure, trading, clearing, and settlement solutions on distributed ledger technology. She also guides clients on US and cross-border cutting-edge fintech initiatives in the derivatives markets.

Barrie VanBrackle advises industry leaders on complex fintech transactions, specifically involving payment technology and consumer financial services compliance. She regularly guides clients on transactions involving payment systems participants — including large merchants, payment processors, and financial technology vendors — with respect to payment acceptance, payment issuance, co-brand agreements, payment card industry data security issues, and payment regulatory matters. 

Stephen Wink, Global Co-Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Fintech Industry Group and Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice, advises a wide range of market players — including investment banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, exchanges, alternative trading platforms, transfer agents, other financial institutions, and fintechs — on matters involving the regulation of broker-dealers and investment advisors, market regulation, and compliance and enforcement matters.

Douglas Yatter, Global Vice Chair of Latham’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice, Co-Chair of the Commodities and Derivatives Regulation and Enforcement Practice, and a founding member of the Global Digital Assets & Web3 Practice, represents cryptocurrency clients in their most significant litigation, regulatory, and enforcement matters. Mr. Yatter also helps large financial institutions, fintech ventures, and other clients navigate a complex and rapidly developing regulatory and enforcement environment.