Philip Clarke

Philip Clarke is a partner in Baker McKenzie’s Dubai office and leads the UAE financial regulatory team. He brings extensive international experience to the practice, having worked at leading global law firms, in-house within major financial institutions, and for several years as a senior legal counsel at the Dubai Financial Services Authority.

Philip offers a uniquely well‑rounded perspective on financial services regulatory matters, shaped by his diverse background working in‑house within major financial institutions, in private practice in both Dubai and London, and within a financial services regulator. This breadth of experience enables him to provide clients with commercially grounded, regulator‑informed and technically robust advice across the full spectrum of financial services regulation.

Philip advises clients across the full range of financial services regulation, including banking, investment and payment services, licensing matters, outsourcing arrangements, governance, technology‑related risks, ESG requirements, and anti‑money laundering (AML). He has strong experience in applying regulatory rules to new and innovative business models, and has assisted numerous fintech firms and virtual assets service providers in developing their business model and identifying an optimal path to authorisation and operation. He is also frequently engaged to support regulators and public bodies across the region.

His contentious experience includes defending regulatory investigations conducted in the UAE's financial freezones as well as 'onshore', and acting on complex cross‑border enforcement matters involving regulators such as the Financial Conduct Authority, Securities & Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, European Commission and Japan’s Fair Trade Commission. He has advised on simultaneous regulatory investigations, past business reviews and related court proceedings, including mandates involving the appointment of skilled persons and the design of new approaches to customer remediation.

Philip has also conducted internal investigations for investment and private banks, including those arising from whistleblowing reports and conduct‑related issues.

University of Law (Graduate Diploma in Law)

Queen's University Belfast (BA (Joint Honours) English and Philosophy) (2002)