Kevin Chua

Languages Spoken

English, Chinese

Practice Areas

Fintech & Financial Services Regulations

Investment Funds

Capital Markets

Corporate & Commercial

Regulatory & Compliance

Cryptocurrency & Blockchain

Banking

Career

Kevin Chua is a highly regarded corporate and financial regulatory practitioner with over two decades of experience advising on complex transactions and regulatory matters. His practice spans the full spectrum of financial services work, with deep expertise in Singapore’s evolving regulatory landscape.

Kevin advises a wide range of market participants, including investment fund managers, financial institutions, financial advisers, family offices, fintech and payments companies, robo-advisers, e-money issuers, money transfer and remittance providers, merchant acquisition and payment solutions firms, as well as digital asset and token service providers.

Kevin’s practice encompasses advising on conduct-of-business requirements, licensing and exemption applications, distribution of financial products, outsourcing and technology arrangements, fund formation and documentation, government tenders. strategic corporate investments and digital token matters. Kevin also guides organisations on the development of compliance frameworks, including enterprise-wide risk assessments, AML/CFT/PF policies, and customer-facing documentation. He has substantial experience engaging with the Monetary Authority of Singapore on regulatory approvals, supervisory matters, and exemption regimes.

Before joining Yuen Law, Kevin headed the Regulatory Practice at a Legal 500-ranked boutique firm and previously practised at WongPartnership. He brings significant public-sector insight from his tenure as Assistant General Counsel at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, where he advised on a wide range of legal issues, particularly investment agreements, commercial contracts, and government procurement. Kevin also held management roles in the compliance and registration divisions at the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and served as part of the secretariat overseeing the 2003 amendments to the Companies Act and other key legislation administered by ACRA.

Publications

Author of “Contract Smart: Understanding Contract Law in Singapore, Second Edition” (Marshall Cavendish Business, 2022, ISBN 978-981-4928-75-5)

Contract Smart is written for business owners and professionals who want to understand contract law and how it applies to real-world commercial issues. This updated Second Edition explains who has rights under a contract, the nuances between different types of contractual terms, situations in which a contract may be rendered voidable, the options available when a contract is breached, and the correct methods for varying contractual agreements. The edition also includes new content on smart contracts, blockchain-related agreements, and the use of digital signatures in modern commercial practice.

Work Highlights

1. Advised a fund manager in drafting a Private Placement Memorandum that introduced flexible subscription options allowing payments in USD, stablecoins (USDT, USDC), in kind, or other forms, with mechanisms for currency conversion and deduction of related charges prior to investment. We also advised on “Side Pocket” investments to be made by the VCC and drafted the relevant provisions in the fund documentation.

2. Advised a fund manager on partnering with a US-based fund manager which would act as a sub-advisor and subject matter expert on investments in the USA. In addition to drafting the fund documentation, we also advised on the regulatory aspects of personnel transfers (from the US) and appointment of representatives under the Securities and Futures Act.

3. Advised a fund structured as a VCC as it sought to receive subscriptions in the form of cryptocurrencies for its targeted investments as well as its fund-of-funds investments.

4. Advised a Capital Markets Services-licensed fund management company on navigating complex Cambodian regulatory frameworks and structuring real estate investments via a Special Purpose Vehicle.

5. Advised a fund structured as a VCC on amended the private placement memorandum for the special-purpose vehicle and helped initiate the process to change the management shareholder.

6. Advised on a management buy-out of a Singapore fund management firm, securing MAS approvals and structuring the deal for compliance with regulatory and financial requirements.

7. Assisted a fund in constituting its Investor Advisory Committee, including reviewing and revising the Investor Advisory Committee Agreement to ensure alignment with the fund’s governance framework and investor rights.

8. Assisted global financial institutions on their applications for major and standard payment institution licenses under the Payment Services Act.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Singapore

Education

Awards