Financial Services: Regulatory | Global

A&O Shearman is a pre-eminent international law firm with a strong presence in the UAE. It acts for prominent global and regional financial institutions, including investment banks, on compliance and a range of other regulatory mandates. It offers further expertise in regard to digital payments and the financial regulatory aspects of transactional work. The team is also able to advise on fintech matters, including with regard to virtual assets and cryptocurrency.

Linklaters' Dubai-based financial regulatory team has a well-established reputation for its work advising clients on mandates involving financial products and electronic payment services. In addition, its lawyers have extensive experience counselling banks on local acquisitions, commercial contract issues and corporate restructuring, as well as in relation to the promotion of financial products. The team complements its financial regulatory capabilities with a strong finance practice which is active for lenders throughout the region.

Norton Rose Fulbright maintains a respected financial regulatory department which handles a wide range of work across various sectors. It typically acts for banks and other financial institutions, assisting with digital payment mandates, licensing and market entry matters. It has considerable experience acting for cryptocurrency exchanges on the requirements for their establishment in the DIFC under the current VARA regime.

Simmons & Simmons is frequently noted in the wider Dubai market for its standout financial regulatory group, which is one of the most well-established in the region. The team is a market leader for regulatory matters in the investment funds space, being frequently turned to by global asset managers with regard to issues such as their establishment of operations in the UAE. It has extensive experience advising on licensing and the promotion of financial products, and also frequently undertakes global benchmarking exercises in the context of the ongoing evolution of the UAE's financial regulatory regimes.

White & Case's Dubai-based financial regulatory team is especially noted for its experience on fintech, e-commerce and digital assets mandates. In this regard it frequently represents leading names in the retail and technology sectors. More broadly, the department also advises asset managers on the regulatory aspects of investment fund launches and the ongoing operation of funds.