As technology evolves, the provision of financial services must evolve along with it. It’s time to rethink traditional approaches to regulatory and legal issues. Shearman & Sterling offers clients a combination of experienced counsel and a global footprint in key financial centers and FinTech hubs around the world.

We are committed to investing in the future and have established the FinTech Foundry, a program dedicated to support the FinTech-related activities of our clients and the wider global FinTech ecosystem that consists of financial institutions, FinTech startups, accelerators and incubators, venture capital and private equity investors and policymakers. The core of our proposition is the ability to provide opportunities to connect, share insights and advise the innovators shaping the future of financial services.

The fundamental principles of the FinTech Foundry are to offer community support, provide thought leadership and deliver mentorship and advice to the FinTech ecosystem. The FinTech Foundry includes the following three pillars:

• FinTech Salons: a series of events to support the community
• FinTech Insights: a dedicated thought leadership platform offering access to our FinTech blog, co-authored industry reports and additional content on the latest developments in the sector
• FinTech Advisory: a global mentorship program dedicated to supporting FinTech start-ups shaping the future of financial services

Visit our FinTech Foundry Digital Hub and learn more about FinTech Advisory.

• Advised Qatar Investment Authority in connection with its equity financing round in SoFi.
• Advising a cross-border digital payments company on New York state licensing and regulatory issues.
• Advised a cloud-based human resources software company in creating a data incident response protocol and GDPR compliance program.
• Advising ICE in establishing and financing new venture, Bakkt, that will offer a federally regulated market for Bitcoin in order to transform Bitcoin into a trusted global currency with broad commercial usage.
• Advising a digital money platform company in its acquisition of JNK Securities, a N.Y. based broker-dealer.
• Advising a payments company on their offering bitcoin wallet services to customers.
• Representing a startup cryptocurrency exchange by analyzing the impact of U.S. tax reform on its businesses and corporate structure.
• Advising a financial investment brokerage on preparation of trading documentation for cryptocurrency-related derivatives, particularly with respect to important concepts and asset characteristics that should be considered when negotiating trades in respect of cryptocurrencies.
• Representing a blockchain technology company, by providing tax advice to the company in relation to investments made in blockchain focused startups.
• Representing a trade execution platform by analyzing the impact of U.S. tax reform on the company’s businesses and corporate structure as well as advising on employee compensation and benefits structure.
• Represented an online merchant company on a convertible note financing.
• Represent a developer of blockchain-based financial applications on a Series Seed Preferred Stock.
• Represent an electronic exchange platform in connection with a joint venture.
• Advised a leading cryptocurrency investment firm on transacting in cryptocurrency-related derivatives and prepared trading documentation that we are currently negotiating with its counterparties.
• Represented the company in its formation and initial equity financing and are advising a company on the formation and registration of a U.S.-registered broker-dealer and ATS trading venue, including advising on the addition of blockchain settlement to their automated platform.
• Advised a hedge fund on due diligence and investment in a digital asset custodian.
• On behalf of an individual investor, obtained access of QORA currency that had been frozen by the Poloniex Exchange.
• Represent a global financial institution in litigation growing out of the collapse of the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange.
• Providing regulatory advice to a global financial institution in connection with possible “big data” initiative.
• Represented a Swiss based exchange platform providing regulatory advice in connection with an ICO.
• Represented a digital retirement savings company in its formation and initial financings.
• Represented a leading provider of SaaS-based customer engagement solutions on an acquisition and related equity financing.
• Represented compliance, surveillance, and risk management software solutions company on its spin-out and Series A financing.
• Represented USAA in its investment in Coinbase, a digital currency wallet and platform for merchants and consumers to transact with digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
• Represented USAA in its investment in MX Technologies, which develops and provides money management and financial software for financial institutions and digital banking providers.
• Advised ICE on NY BitLicense and state money transmitter requirements and provided advice regarding cryptocurrency regulation, futures trading, and custody.
• Advised Brazil's leading provider of financial technology solutions on its approximate $1.75 billion IPO on the NYSE.
• Advised a Chinese peer-to-peer lending platform on its Nasdaq IPO in Nov 2017.
• Represented Thomson Reuters in its acquisition of REDI Holdings from Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays and Citadel and on its purchase of TradeWeb, a multijurisdictional trading platform authorized in the UK.
• Represented Salesforce in its $2.8 billion acquisition of NYSE-listed cloud-based e-commerce platform Demandware, Inc.
• Represented Visa in its acquisition of PlaySpan Inc.
• Represented NASDAQ OMX Group in its acquisition of the Investor Relations, Public Relations and Multimedia Solutions businesses of Thomson Reuters; on its acquisition of FTEN, Inc; in the creation of a joint venture with SharesPost, Inc. to form The NASDAQ Private Market LLC; in its joint bid, together with the Intercontinental Exchange, for NYSE Euronext.
• Represented Bolsa Se Mercadorias & Futuros S.A. in its $22.4 billion merger with Bovespa Holding S.A. to create the world’s third-largest stock exchange.
• Represented Intuit Limited in its acquisitions of several online and cloud-based payroll services companies, including PayCycle, Inc., Acrede Technology Group Holdings and PaySuite.
• Represented ICE in its sales of NYFIX, Metabit and Wombat Financial Software, all units of NYSE Technologies.
• Represented PLIA Systems in its acquisition of U.S. equities broker-dealer SJ Levinson & Sons LLC.
• Represented Quadramed in its acquisition of NCR Healthcare Solutions, including NCR Payment Manager which allows patients to pay outstanding payments at a kiosk, online or on a mobile device.
• Represented Bank of Nova Scotia in its acquisition of E*TRADE Canada from E*TRADE financial corporation.