Matthew Bornfreund

Matthew Bornfreund advises banks and bank holding companies, non-depository financial institutions, and Fintech companies on complex regulatory, transactional, and compliance issues in a changing regulatory landscape.

As a former attorney in the Legal Division of the Federal Reserve Board, Matthew advises bank and bank holding company clients on matters such as chartering and licensing, capital and liquidity requirements, permissible activities and investments, affiliate transactions, and third-party risk management. He combines deep knowledge of the regulatory environment with operational insights as he counsels Fintechs and payment services providers on a wide range of bank-related compliance issues, including card network rules, ACH network rules, and anti-money laundering requirements.

Matthew assists international banks with their entry into the U.S. market, which includes managing the application process with state and federal banking regulators. International banks also look to him for ongoing advice on operational compliance, managing BSA/AML and OFAC/sanctions obligations, and addressing issues under Regulation K and Regulation Y, among others. He facilitates partnerships between financial institutions and Fintechs in areas such as banking as a service (BaaS), creating payments applications, establishing integrated financial products, and more. Matthew has a unique background that includes IT experience, which helps bridge the gap between banks and their third-party service providers, assisting with the development of vendor risk management programs.

Matthew earned his J.D. cum laude from the George Washington University Law School. He received his B.A. in international relations and his B.A. in economics from the University of Central Florida.