finReg360

Firm Details:

Number of partners: 12

Number of lawyers: 60

Languages: Spanish, English and French.

FIRM OVERVIEW:

Incorporated in 2016, finReg is a law firm devoted to advising financial entities. It is also a law firm for clients looking for a different approach to legal services.

finReg is the only Spanish law firm focused on the financial sector. The firm advises all types of financial players, both foreign and Spanish, in the fields of securities markets, banking and finance, payment services, insurance, collective investments, private equity, ESG, anti-money laundering and corporate governance. Given the importance of data management and disruptive technologies like blockchain, the data privacy practice is a key part of the services the firm provides.

In almost five years of operation, finReg has assembled Spain’s largest and most experienced team devoted to providing regulatory advice.

finReg practices an approach different than the one followed by other law firms and consultancy companies: 

■ finReg team is exclusively devoted to financial regulation 

■ finReg approach escapes the burden of the billable hours and the partnership pyramid. finReg is solution-driven 

■ finReg’s 60+ lawyers –approximately 70% of whom are women– work with a new approach to client service: to provide strategic legal advice and drive business forward. finReg accompanies clients in the full implementation of their business, systems, contracts, and procedures.

The firm’s approach offers clients solutions to guide their businesses, with both regulatory compliance and the identification of strategic business opportunities. finReg accompanies clients in the full implementation of their business, systems, contracts, and procedures.

In 2018, finReg was granted with the Best legal Start up 2018 in the Third Edition of the Expansión Legal Awards, in 2019 with the Chambers Awards Spain – Boutique of the Year and in 2021 was also ranked for its services in FinTech.

Finally, finReg is member of the main associations that promote the digital economy through the development of decentralised ledger technologies/Blockchain and Sandbox initiatives.

Main Areas of Practice:

finReg combines high technical expertise in financial regulation with a business vision to provide innovative legal advice for business-driven solutions.

The firm offers in-depth knowledge of financial regulation and the understanding of traditional business models due to finReg’s wide experience in advising all types of entities in the financial industry. This determines the firm's ability to support FinTech companies at very early stages, sometimes before its incorporation, where a clear regulatory roadmap is key for their success.

Additionally, the firm's strategic and regulatory advice to the FinTech industry is always provided considering other regulatory streams such as data protection laws and tax implications to ensure that the service is 360. This way the firm ensures that (i) there are no regulatory gaps in these areas when defining or reviewing new business models and (ii) key aspects such as client data processing or distribution schemes both form regulatory and tax perspective are considered.

Consequently, finReg accompanies its FinTech clients during all the phases of their projects beginning with a holistic review of the model before initiating the authorisation process. In this regard, finReg is the Spanish firm that has coordinated the largest number of Fintech authorisation files. The firm success in this area is directly linked to its understanding of both business and the regulation. In addition, finReg advices to the major financial entities to their digital transformation process.

Once the authorisation is granted, finReg accompanies the client during the go live, providing ongoing regulatory advice and further supporting him in the identification of new business opportunities or partners as well as in financing procedures. At this regard, finReg usually helps its clients to contact other financial entities, venture capital funds, etc. to seek partnerships or financing. On top of that, finReg counts with a law for equity program to foster long term relationships and to become the client's trusted advisor.

In addition to this offering, finReg has participated in major company's restructuring and merger and acquisition transactions between FinTech companies.

Regarding the main sectors or technologies, the firm has deep knowledge in payments, all types of credit, DLT, including commercial credits, marketplaces, regtechs, roboadvisors, financial instruments, including crypto assets, insurances and crowdfunding.

From an operational point of view finReg assist many entities in the regulatory design of their processes, from the onboarding to the check out.

Finally, the firm has launched a new service to advice both FinTech companies and consolidated market players willing to tests their projects in the new Spanish Regulatory Sandbox. For these matters, finReg leverages from the firm´s outstanding experience in standard authorization processes before the Bank of Spain or the Spanish Securities and Markets Authority applying its 360 approach which is one of the key principles of the firm.

Among other areas of expertise, finReg is also specialized in all matters concerning legal issues relating to information technology and data protection. finReg provides legal advice and consultancy services of duties and obligations on GDPR and Spanish local law, conducts audits on data protection policies, advises on data protection inspections and international data transfers and receives the outsourcing of the data protection officer’s functions.

Key Clients:

Since 2016, more than 900 clients have used finReg to receive better legal work.

finReg assists some of the more prominent Spanish fintech as well as some of the most reputed foreign entities launching their business in the Spanish market. In addition, several major financial entities have entrusted finReg with great significant collaboration and integration projects. In the payment and aggregation services area, finReg is the leader in authorisation and incorporation processes.

PRACTICE AREAS

Banking & Finance

Payment Services

Investment Funds

Securities

Insurance

Private Equity

ESG

FinTech

Anti-Money Laundering

Corporate Governance

Information Technology & Data Protection

Intellectual Property