Veló Legal

Established in 2019, Veló Legal is Panama’s first NewLaw firm and a recognised reference in the Latin American legal-tech and fintech sectors. The firm combines regulatory expertise with agile methodologies and legal design, offering clear and scalable frameworks for digital business models, financial innovation, and technology-driven services.

Corporate / Digital (Fintech) Department

Veló Legal’s Corporate / Digital (Fintech) Department advises local and international clients on digital finance, payments, embedded finance, e-commerce, data governance, and technology regulation. The team is noted for structuring regulatory-compliant models for electronic money, digital credit, API-based infrastructure, and automation tools, including cross-border structures that require alignment between Panamanian rules and international standards.

Leadership

The department is co-led by founding partner Carolina De La Guardia, a prominent figure in Panama’s fintech and technology environment. In 2025, she became the first lawyer to serve as President of CAPATEC, Panama’s Chamber of Technology, strengthening the firm’s institutional presence within the sector. Her practice focuses on data protection, digital identity, payment services, and regulatory integration for regional and multinational companies.

Co-head Carlos Hoyos is currently on leave while serving as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama. Before this appointment, he played an important role in regulatory development and public–private collaboration in fintech and digital governance. Partner Juan Antonio Boyd leads matters involving financial regulation, licensing strategies, and digital lending structures, particularly for companies preparing for supervised operations. Senior associates Liz Ramsey and Juan Raúl Vega are key contributors to the execution of complex work, especially in contractual frameworks for digital platforms, intellectual property protection, and regulatory implementation for high-growth fintech and technology clients.

Representative Work and Key Clients

Veló Legal advises a wide portfolio of technology, fintech, and digital services companies, including Volcan Processing Panamá, Zulu Labz, CM Financiera, Junto Soluciones, Pluxee Panamá, ENX Group (Interfuerza, Elconix, Arpia), Maxia, ADR Technologies, CAPATEC, Softbotic, Source Meridian, BIP BIP Ventures, La Tapa Market, American Data Networks, and the City of Knowledge Foundation. The firm provides support in areas such as licensing before financial and telecom regulators, asset-backed lending structures, AML, CFT and KYC frameworks, design of digital payment and stored-value instruments, contractual structuring for software and e-commerce, and compliance with data protection rules under Law 81 of 2019.

Legal Innovation and Sector Impact

Veló Legal is recognised for applying legal design to simplify documentation and strengthen client communication in digital business models. The firm works actively within Panama’s innovation ecosystem through its alliance with the City of Knowledge Foundation, providing tailored legal support to startups and SMEs.