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Digital Assets and Blockchain

Operating from across the world’s major financial centres, our digital assets, blockchain, and cryptocurrency experts provide a comprehensive and joint-up legal service to clients globally.

Our cross-jurisdictional and multi-disciplinary teams possess a proven track record in the digital assets market. From investors and FinTech start-ups to incumbent financial services companies, we are experienced in advising and leading clients across the entirety of the digital asset life cycle.

We routinely assist and work with DEXs, NFT marketplaces, DAOs, digital asset funds and more, navigating this dynamic regulatory landscape, including advising on licensing secondary markets for structured products, product design, regulatory preparation, building tokens/smart contracts and other product offerings. We are not learning on the job, and indeed have created our own proprietary smart contracts/are exploring how blockchain technology can assist our firm.  

For more established market players and global digital payments providers, we advise on a variety of legal matters in this space, including entering and expanding within the FinTech and e-payments sector; through partnerships and joint venture, acquisitions and innovative distribution channels; setting up cryptocurrency exchanges; initial token offerings, as well as navigating clients through the evolving and multi-jurisdictional regulated environment impacting the sector.

To complement our client offering and remain at the forefront of policy formation, we are key figures when working with Government, Treasury and the relevant regulators in shaping the regulation in and of digital assets. We were recently awarded Best Regulatory Advisor for 2023 by Hedgeweek at their APAC Digital Assets Awards. Several of our partners are recognised thought leaders in this field, and part-time academics teaching in this space.

Supporting our advisory specialists is a cross-jurisdictional team of litigation and dispute resolution experts, with experience in financial, commercial and technology related disputes in the fintech sector, covering areas of intellectual property, real estate, construction, commercial agreements and white-collar crime. We are involved in multiple arbitrations in connection with digital assets.

If you’d like to know more about our offering in the digital assets and blockchain space and better understand how we can advise you, please get in touch with any member of our team below.

Awards
  • Hedgeweek APAC Digital Assets Awards 2023
    APAC Digital Assets

Experience/deals

  • All
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East
  • North America
  • UK & Europe
  • Advising on tokenisation and all forms of crypto licensing and compliance

    Advising on the tokenisation of financial products, advising on primary and secondary markets for tokens, developing novel token structures and assisting DAOs. All forms of cryptocurrency licensing, compliance and advice.

    Australia

    AML/CTF compliance for crypto exchange operator

    Advising a cryptocurrency exchange operator on maintaining up to date AML/CTF best practices and ensuring compliance with jurisdictional requirements.

    Australia

    Assisting with policy design for digital assets in developing countries

    Working with various private think tanks on policy design and development for CBDCs in developing countries.

    Australia

    Creating licensed secondary market for token trading

    Working to create Australia’s first licensed secondary market for trading of tokenised assets.

    Australia

    Design of digital assets regulation for Australian Government

    Providing consultation papers on the design of the digital assets regulation to the Australian Treasury, and key Senators.

    Australia

    Digital asset product compliance and regulatory frameworks

    Working for many DeFi entities on financial services regulatory compliance, governance and risk frameworks. Responding to notices from ASIC and AUSTRAC.

    Australia

    Acting on the dispute of services provided for an exchange offering

    Acting for a consultancy company in respect of a dispute arising out of services provided in preparation for a IEO in the US, including investigating an attachment of earnings against the newly issued tokens.

    United Kingdom

    Advised NFT art broker on royalty dispute

    Acted for an NFT art broker in a dispute relating to royalty payments arising from NFT sales on a Blockchain platform.

    United Arab Emirates

    Advised on sale of Web3 NFT start-up

    Advised a Web3 NFT start-up on the USD 150 million sale of their business to a leading fintech and payments business.

    United Arab Emirates

    Advised on sale of Web3 NFT start-up

    Advised a Web3 NFT start-up on the USD 150 million sale of their business to a leading fintech and payments business.

    United Kingdom
  • AML/CTF compliance for crypto exchange operator

    Advising a cryptocurrency exchange operator on maintaining up to date AML/CTF best practices and ensuring compliance with jurisdictional requirements.

    Australia

    Advising on tokenisation and all forms of crypto licensing and compliance

    Advising on the tokenisation of financial products, advising on primary and secondary markets for tokens, developing novel token structures and assisting DAOs. All forms of cryptocurrency licensing, compliance and advice.

    Australia

    Digital asset product compliance and regulatory frameworks

    Working for many DeFi entities on financial services regulatory compliance, governance and risk frameworks. Responding to notices from ASIC and AUSTRAC.

    Australia

    Creating licensed secondary market for token trading

    Working to create Australia’s first licensed secondary market for trading of tokenised assets.

    Australia

    Assisting with policy design for digital assets in developing countries

    Working with various private think tanks on policy design and development for CBDCs in developing countries.

    Australia

    Design of digital assets regulation for Australian Government

    Providing consultation papers on the design of the digital assets regulation to the Australian Treasury, and key Senators.

    Australia

    Creating tokens for capital fundraising

    Working with leading digital assets / blockchain businesses to create tokens for capital fundraising, including through trading on secondary markets through centralised exchanges.

    Australia

    Consulting university on blockchain law

    Having various academic commitments, including one as an Adjunct professor of law who teaches at a university on blockchain law.

    Australia

    Digital asset product design

    Working for many DeFi entities on innovative product design and launches, specialising in design of financial services products.

    Australia

    Assisting multiple major DEXs obtain AFSL and DCE licences

    Working with various DEXs to obtain AFSL and DCE licensing in the funds management space, marketing making space and other areas across different product types.

    Australia
  • Advising Huboi on its LatAm market entry

    Advising Huobi, a global cryptocurrency exchange in its purchase of a Latin American cryptocurrency exchange which has operations in, amongst other places, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

    Chile
  • Cryptocurrency fraud in Middle East

    Advised and represented a client in a dispute relating to cryptocurrency fraud in the Middle East.

    United Arab Emirates

    Advised NFT art broker on royalty dispute

    Acted for an NFT art broker in a dispute relating to royalty payments arising from NFT sales on a Blockchain platform.

    United Arab Emirates

    Advised on sale of Web3 NFT start-up

    Advised a Web3 NFT start-up on the USD 150 million sale of their business to a leading fintech and payments business.

    United Arab Emirates

    Advising Middle East F&B company on sale and marketing of NFTs in UAE and KSA

    Advising a Middle East food and beverage company on the proposed sale and marketing of NFTs in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including comparison of the respective regulatory environments and advice on key risks and issues.

    United Arab Emirates

    NFT advice for German car manufacturer

    Advising the Middle East and Africa arm of a German car manufacturer on intellectual property rights in the context of a drone video produced for the purpose of creating an NFT, including regulatory advice on the sale and distribution of NFTs.

    United Arab Emirates

    Release of NFTs by Japanese car manufacturer

    Advising the Middle East arm of a Japanese car manufacturer on regulatory and charity law issues connected with the proposed issuance of a series of NFTs celebrating an anniversary of one of its models that were intended to be released with profits paid to charity.

    United Arab Emirates

    Local establishment of US blockchain platform

    Supporting a US blockchain platform business on local establishment, regulatory issues and customer contracts in the UAE.

    United Arab Emirates

    Digitising Komgo’s trade and commodities processes

    Advising Komgo, a consortium of leading banks, trading and energy companies for the digitalisation of trade and commodities finance processes through a blockchain based open platform.

    United Arab Emirates
  • Securities class action litigation

    Defence of Initial Coin Offering participants in securities class action litigation.

    United States

    Insuring blockchain corporations

    Drafting policies to insure corporations in the blockchain industry.

    United States

    Coverage issues on crypto and blockchain policies

    Advising on insurance coverage issues arising under crypto and blockchain insurance policies.

    United States
  • Assisting with offering of tokenised carbon credits

    Advising and assisting a carbon credit exchange provider with the offering of tokenized carbon credits to unlock liquidity.

    United Kingdom

    Advised on sale of Web3 NFT start-up

    Advised a Web3 NFT start-up on the USD 150 million sale of their business to a leading fintech and payments business.

    United Kingdom

    Acting on the dispute of services provided for an exchange offering

    Acting for a consultancy company in respect of a dispute arising out of services provided in preparation for a IEO in the US, including investigating an attachment of earnings against the newly issued tokens.

    United Kingdom

    Advising on the legality of cryptocurrency payments under relevant sanctions

    Advising insurers and organisations on the legality of cryptocurrency payments arising from a ransomware attack pursuant to applicable sanctions, Terrorism Act and anti-money laundering legislation.

    United Kingdom

    International recoveries for hacked crypto exchange

    Acting for a crypto-exchange in a multi-jurisdictional tracing and recovery action arising following a hacking incident.

    United Kingdom

    Assisting UK Government with innovative construction technology

    Working with the UK Government funded Digital Catapult on the Weather Ledger project through its smart contract consultancy Clyde Code.

    The 12-month project developed and demonstrated a distributed ledger technology (DLT) solution for automated evidence collection, information exchange, and contract administration relating to adverse weather events at construction sites.

    United Kingdom

Their advice is consistently of a high standard and the team demonstrates that they have the necessary skills and expertise required for the work to be done.

Chambers & Partners, Global

They have some of the best partners, with true global experience.

Chambers & Partners, Global

Technology, Outsourcing & Data

We provide clients with legal guidance to navigate digital transformation, helping enable businesses across sectors to remain competitive, exploit new business opportunities and improve business resilience.

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Liam Hennessy
Liam Hennessy

Partner

Alexandra Lester
Alexandra Lester

Partner

Thomas Choo
Thomas Choo

Managing Partner

Weiyi Tan
Weiyi Tan

Partner

Joyce Chan
Joyce Chan

Partner

Lee Bacon
Lee Bacon

Partner

David Hansom
David Hansom

Partner

Anna Myrvang
Anna Myrvang

Partner

Chris Burdett
Chris Burdett

Partner

Franco Acchiardo
Franco Acchiardo

Partner

Marc Voses
Marc Voses

Partner

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