Band 3
Provided by William O’Rorke
Crypto-asset service providers (CASP) & MiCA : Strategic advisory on obtaining regulatory authorizations and ensuring comprehensive compliance with in crypto-Assets regulation.
Stablecoin & e-money token (EMT) issuance: Legal and regulatory structuring for the issuance of stablecoins and crypto-assets.
Digital operational resilience (DORA): Implementation of digital operational resilience frameworks for financial entities.
Licensing as PI & EMI: Handling of authorization and licensing proceedings before the ACPR for Payment Institutions (PI) and Electronic Money Institutions (EMI).
Decentralized finance (DeFi) & protocol governance: specialist counsel on the legal structuring of decentralized protocols and the implementation of on-chain governance models.
Anti-money laundering (AML/CFT) & audits: Design of AML/CFT compliance architectures and management of regulatory examinations and audits.
William O’Rorke advises numerous financial institutions, fintech, and technology companies on their regulatory and strategic challenges. He has supported dozens of players in the process of registering and licensing as crypto-asset services providers (CASP) in France. He now dedicates a significant part of his practice to license applications and compliance under the MiCA and DORA frameworks, especially in the stablecoins industry. He also advises financial institutions on obtaining various regulatory authorizations, including payment institution (PI) and electronic money institution (EMI) status.
William has developed advanced expertise in decentralized finance (DeFi) and asset tokenization, advising leading innovative players on the regulatory compliance of their protocols and business models. He is a co-author of the reference manual Droit des crypto-actifs et de la blockchain published by LexisNexis and regularly lecture at the Paris Bar School (EFB) and various French universities. As the Secretary of the board of ADAN, he is actively involved in the evolution of the French and European crypto-asset regulatory landscape.
William O’Rorke holds a central role in the industry as the Secretary and a Board Member of ADAN (Association pour le développement des actifs numériques), where he contributes to the dialogue between market participants and public authorities. He is also a dedicated contributor to the legal community, serving as a lecturer at the Paris Bar School (EFB) and several universities. He is a frequent speaker at institutional conferences regarding the evolution of European financial services and the supervision of crypto-asset markets.
William is the co-author of the reference manual Droit des crypto-actifs et de la blockchain (LexisNexis). This publication is widely regarded as the foundational doctrinal work for practitioners and regulators in France. He also regularly publishes articles in specialized legal journals focusing on the regulatory implications of MiCA, the compliance of CASPs, and the legal framework for stablecoins.
French, English.
Paris Bar School (EFB)
Certificate of Profession of Lawyer (CAPA).
2015 - 2016
University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Master’s degree in Digital Law.
2013 - 2014
Provided by Chambers
William O’Rorke is a partner and a co-founder of ORWL. He has a well-regarded regulatory practice focusing on blockchain and crypto assets.
Provided by Chambers
William is very active in this space and has a good set of skills.
William does a lot of crypto asset-related work and is very knowledgeable on that side.
William is very active in this space and has a good set of skills.
William does a lot of crypto asset-related work and is very knowledgeable on that side.
Provided by ORWL
Financial Services
Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT)