The global financial markets practice group at Clifford Chance has a wealth of experience with cryptocurrency-related matters and M&A regulatory compliance mandates, demonstrating considerable strength in the digital assets sector. The team, which is jointly led by Jack Hardman and Cheuk Yin Cheung, is a reliable contact for foreign investors, regulatory bodies and international financial institutions. Hardman is noted for his capabilities in a wide array of fintech matters. Cheung excels when offering regulatory advise on industrial netting. James Dadford has a strong track record in licensing mandates. Josh Morrison is a key name of note in the team.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘CC has a very unique group of partners, with vast experience in different industries. The CC team are always accessible and ready to help at anytime with short notice. They accompany the customer throughout the documentation to ensure closure of the transaction in an efficient manner.'
- ‘I have dealt with Jack Hardman and his team. Jack was very professional, helpful, and his attention to detail is remarkable.'
- ‘Clifford Chance's Financial Services Regulation team demonstrates a strong ability to anticipate regulatory trends, give strategic advice, and guide clients through complex, fast-evolving frameworks with confidence. Clifford Chance stands out for its international platform and ability to coordinate advice across multiple jurisdictions. Clients benefit from a consistently high standard of service wherever they operate.’
- ‘Jack Hardman and his team have deep subject-matter expertise, and draws upon Clifford Chance's expertise from different practice areas and jurisdictions to deliver high quality advice.'
- ‘The Clifford Chance banking and finance/financial services regulation practice has the stand-out team in the region. It has partners who have a depth of experience and regional longevity.'
- 'It has a deep associate bench that is unmatched. Very few other firms have the same depth across all sectors - regulatory, conventional and Islamic finance, capital markets, restructuring. Notably the team works on the most high profile and complex deals in the region.'
- ‘The longevity of the partner bench is the key distinguishing feature and unrivalled - few other firms have partners across the sectors that have led the practice for 20+ years in the region. There is no issue that the CC partners have not dealt with before, so you are buying into that level of experience.'
Key clients
- Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
- Abu Dhabi Global Market
- Adyen
- Al Ansari
- Arab Monetary Fund
- Bank of America
- Bank of New York
- Blackrock
- Careem Networks FZ
- DP World
- Dubai International Financial Centre Authority
- Emirates Development Bank
- FIA
- First Abu Dhabi Bank
- HSBC Bank Middle East
- International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc.
- Investcorp
- Mashreqbank
- NMC Healthcare Group
- Offset8 Capital Limited
Work highlights
Advising the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) on its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Implementation Strategy. The strategy, which represents one of nine initiatives in the CBUAE's Financial Infrastructure Transformation (FIT) Programme, sets out a roadmap for the introduction and development of a new CDBC (the Digital Dirham), across a range of domestic and cross-border use-cases.
Advised Mashreqbank PSC ("Mashreq"), one of the UAE’s leading financial institutions, on the sale of a majority stake in NEOPAY, the UAE's fast-growing payment solutions provider, to a consortium comprising Arcapita Group Holdings Limited and Dgpays (together in equal partnership, the "Consortium").
Advised Blackrock Inc. on all UAE regulatory aspects of their acquisition of HPS Investment Partners (“HPS”), a leading global credit investment manager with approximately $148 billion in client assets. This mandate included securing the necessary regulatory approvals for the UAE portfolio companies of HPS and BlackRock.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Jack Hardman; Cheuk Yin Cheung
Other key lawyers
James Dadford; Josh Morrison