Barack Ferrazzano

FIGx®, Barack Ferrazzano’s Fintech Group, advises clients at the intersection of banking, technology, and regulation. Leveraging decades of experience representing financial institutions and deep knowledge of emerging technologies, the team guides banks, fintechs, payments companies, lenders, cryptocurrency firms, and investors through complex regulatory, transactional, and product-development matters. The group is widely recognized for its work on Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS), bank-fintech partnerships, payments innovation, regulatory licensing, and digital asset initiatives.

The practice regularly supports clients in launching novel credit, lending, payments, and crypto products; securing licenses and charters; structuring program partnerships; navigating examinations and enforcement matters; and addressing regulatory approvals across state and federal agencies.

• Bank–Fintech Partnerships & BaaS: Structured and negotiated scores of program management agreements and bank-sponsored offerings, including new credit, lending, crypto, investment, and payments products for both banks and fintechs.
• Regulatory Licensing & Advocacy: Advised clients on obtaining money transmitter licenses, trust charters, and de novo bank charters; developed compliance frameworks; and represented clients before state and federal financial regulators, including FinCEN, the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, and state banking departments.
• Investment & M&A Due Diligence: Conducted regulatory diligence for private equity, venture capital, and strategic acquirers involving banks, trust companies, payments companies, lenders, money transmitters, insurance entities, and digital asset firms, supported by a multidisciplinary team including nine former regulators and compliance specialists.
• Payments & Real-Time Infrastructure: Counseled clients on ACH, card issuance, BIN sponsorship, prepaid access, payment processing relationships, and real-time payments (The Clearing House and FedNow). Represented global merchants in multimillion-dollar ACH and chargeback disputes.
• Digital Assets & Blockchain: Advised Fortune 500 companies, banks, and fintechs on launching wallets and custody products, evaluating qualified custodian status, designing crypto compliance programs, obtaining required licensing, structuring blockchain settlement solutions, and interfacing with FinCEN, OFAC, and state regulators.

FIGx® represents a wide range of financial services and technology clients, including:

• Banks (national, state, community, and regional)
• Fintech companies across payments, lending, crypto, wealth, and neobanking
• Payments companies, processors, ISOs, facilitators, and merchant acquirers
• Cryptocurrency and digital asset companies
• Wealth managers and investment platforms
• Lenders, loan servicers, and debt collectors
• Money transmitters and MSB operators
• Private equity, venture capital, and corporate investors
• Retail and e-commerce merchants

To learn more about Barack Ferrazzano's FIGx®, please visit www.bfkn.com/services/practices/fig/fintech.