We advise clients engaged in every aspect of the payments ecosystem as they expand their e-commerce and technology-powered payments capabilities (PayTech), including:  

• Payment growth and optimization. 
• Payment acceptance, permission, processing, issuing, and settlement services. 
• Platform/marketplace payment expansion. 
• Business-to-business, peer-to-peer, and in-app payments. 
• National Automated Clearing House Association and payment card rule compliance. 
• Cross-border payments. 
• Digital wallets. 
• Remittances. 
• Virtual currency, gift cards, rebate cards, and other stored-value programs. 
• Loyalty, membership cards, and “points” programs. 
• Co-branded credit card agreements. 
• Bill-payment solutions. 
• Payment industry technology standards. 
• Anti-fraud and payment security standards and practices. 
• Money transfer, transmission, and remittance, including cross-border, wire transfer, direct deposit, direct debit, stored-value transfers (private currency), and cardholder-initiated transactions. 

We regularly address a range of concerns related to cryptocurrency and blockchain in the financial sector, including those surrounding custody/trust of digital assets, decentralized finance, smart contracts, institutional cryptocurrency, stablecoins, money transmission licensure requirements, money-services business registration requirements, and digital payments issues. We also support clients in all aspects of domestic and cross-border finance and commodity and derivatives trading compliance programs. Learn more.

We help create strict infrastructure and programs by ensuring that risks are considered and that anti-money laundering (AML) and U.S. sanctions are followed. 

Our support is built on an integrated and comprehensive suite of services that addresses:  

• Regulatory compliance and risk management. We deliver ongoing counsel on AML risk evaluation, design of compliance and control frameworks, policy and procedure authoring, training and communication programs, continued support for in-house compliance teams, assessment of vendors and technologies, and provision of interim and additional staffing for internal chief compliance officers.  
• Regtech support. Our goal is to help our clients use technology to follow the rules and stay up to date with the latest developments. We make sure technology fits well with their compliance, due diligence, and security practices in areas including risk management and regulatory reporting.  
• Regulatory enforcement and civil litigations. We represent fintech clients in a range of regulatory and civil litigation defense, from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement actions to Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigations. This includes state securities board, financial services, and attorney general investigations, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and AML inquiries involving the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, and the other federal regulators that oversee AML and OFAC compliance. We also address actions by state financial services regulators, including allegations of unlicensed money transmission or failure to adhere to money transmission license obligations.

We assist companies and investors as they explore partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, carve-outs, spin-offs, recapitalizations, growth equity investments, and other deals.

Our advisory services include all types of new, technology-driven banking and consumer financial products and services. These include marketplace lending, neo-banks, and the people who make Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and open banking possible. We guide those who use data and technology to craft focused financial services for individual consumers, such as lending, checking, savings, and personal finance management. We envision a future where BaaS is a key player; it gives fintech companies a chance to enter markets that were once controlled by traditional retail banks. It also helps banks compete better online. Because the success of these emerging models hinges on the fluidity of consumer data, our technology-centric legal team is equipped to support these next-generation banking and financial initiatives.