A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman’s fintech regulatory practice advises early-stage fintechs to international financial institutions on payments, digital assets, open finance, and platform-based financial services. Clients include regulators, banks, e-commerce firms, digital wealth platforms, and BNPL companies. The team works with global regulators on frameworks including MiCA and stablecoins, and with central banks and trade bodies on digital assets, CBDCs, and fintech infrastructure. Praised by clients for his ‘unparalleled legal acumen’, Ben Regnard-Weinrabe co-leads the global fintech practice, advising on UK and EU payments and crypto regulation, including licensing, product development, and commercial partnerships. William Samengo-Turner co-heads the EMEA tech practice, advising fintech clients and investors on M&A and fundraising across all financing stages. Nikki Johnstone leads the payments practice, advising banks and crypto-asset firms on sectoral regulation, including AML and consumer protection. She has also supported UK Finance’s Stablecoin Working Group and CFIT’s Open Finance project. Jamie Greenwood and Elias Allahyari provide ongoing support on regulatory perimeter questions, licensing, incident response, and cross-border compliance.