Praised for its ‘deep industry knowledge and expertise,’ Simmons & Simmons fields a dedicated non-contentious regulatory team, whose capabilities span payments, consumer finance, and digital assets. The group advises major banks, payment service providers, and fintechs across the UK, EU, Asia, and the Middle East on regulatory compliance, authorisations, and product launches, with special expertise advising on cryptocurrency and stablecoin services. The digital assets team is led by George Morris, who brings ’a real depth of knowledge on crypto‘. He advises on blockchain, crypto regulation, and IT contracts. Oliver Irons heads up the payments team, advising on regulatory perimeter issues and digital banking product development, bringing first-hand regulatory experience from secondments to the FCA and major financial institutions. Douglas Robinson specialises in fintech-related disputes and regulatory enforcement, while Elizabeth Blair focuses on UK regulatory perimeter issues and digital assets, leading the firm’s payments view updates.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Good depth of crypto experience, interdisciplinary understanding of payments services, stablecoin services and crypto asset services. ’
‘I work mostly with George Morris who demonstrates a real depth of knowledge on crypto and gives robust commercial advice in a digestible non-legalistic style.’
‘Strength and depth in the crypto space. Friendly and responsive. ’
‘Oli Ward and George Morris are excellent.’
‘Deep industry knowledge and expertise. Strong connections to regulators. Not afraid to give the right answer, even if it is uncomfortable for the regulator. ’
‘Strong compass for finding the right answer.’
Key clients
- RobinHood
- OpenPayd
Work highlights
Advised Robinhood on the European regulatory aspects of its acquisition of Bitstamp, the Luxembourg-based cryptoasset exchange.
Advised OpenPayd with detailed regulatory analysis of its business, including a number of innovative e-money products and the use of virtual IBANs.
Practice head
Oliver Irons, George Morris
Other key lawyers
Douglas Morrison, Elizabeth Blair