Hogan Lovells' financial services regulatory capabilities were significantly enhanced at the end of 2024 by the arrival of Maria Sit and Michael Wong from Dechert shortly before it closed its Hong Kong operations. Sit now co-heads the firm's contentious capabilities in the sector alongside 'very experienced and responsive' litigation mainstay Mark Lin, adding regulatory insight through her previous role at the SFC. Wong is the main contact for non-contentious regulatory matters, adding particularly value in relation to private funds-related matters.
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Mentions
Profile
Work Department
Litigation, Arbitration, and Employment
Position
Partner
Career
Maria is a partner in the Hong Kong office of Hogan Lovells. Maria’s practice focuses on dispute resolution, regulatory enforcement and investigations in Greater China. She is a former in-house counsel at the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.
Maria is a prominent litigator with more than two decades of experience focusing on complex commercial litigation and arbitration across a range of sectors. Maria often represents clients in investment and financial products related disputes. Maria has a notable track record representing clients and obtaining winning judgments and awards in a broad variety of high-profile cases in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other jurisdictions around the world including the United Kingdom, the United States, the Cayman Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda.
Maria has a track record representing financial institutions, licensed persons and public companies in investigations, enforcement actions, and prosecutions initiated by Hong Kong regulatory and law enforcement bodies including the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, and the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption. Maria also has experience handling cross-border investigations involving the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Justice, China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Financial Services Agency of Japan, Monetary Authority of Singapore and Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan.
Languages
Cantonese, English, Mandarin
Education
Master of Business Administration, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2008
PCLL, The University of Hong Kong, 2001
BA (Law) LLB, The University of Hong Kong, 2000
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'The team is very knowledgeable and highly responsive in the retail fund space.'
- 'Michael Wong provides prompt, clear and practical advice and has a good understanding of the UCITS regime and the SFC's expectation of UCITS funds seeking to be authorised in Hong Kong.'
- 'Mark Lin is very experienced and responsive.'
Key clients
- Taiping Trustees Limited
- BNY Mellon
- Greenwoods Asset Management
- IMM Investment Management
- China Ping An Insurance
- BOC Life Insurance
- Allspring Funds Management
- China Everbright
- Prelude Capital
- UBS Asset Management
Work highlights
Advised Taiping Trustees Limited, part of China Taiping Insurance Group, on high-value disputes in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands against entities of China Huarong Asset Management, involving claims of unlawful means conspiracy and breaches of contract, tort, fiduciary duties, and disclosure obligations.
Advised Great Wall International Investment XII Limited, a subsidiary of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited, and a senior management member in her personal capacity, in defending against a claim of alleged unlawful means conspiracy, involving complex investment disputes and extensive pleadings.
Advised a US-based hedge fund manager with over $3.6bn assets under management, on obtaining the necessary regulatory licenses to conduct its asset management business in Hong Kong, and on specific queries in relation to its SFC licensing application.