• Kramer Levin advises clients at the intersection of finance, law, regulation and innovation, helping them navigate the many and varied challenges they face in the ever-evolving fintech and blockchain legal landscapes. Our Fintech and Blockchain team counsels businesses ranging from startups and emerging growth technology companies to payment companies, robo advisers, platforms, asset managers and investment funds. Taking a multidisciplinary approach in addressing the novel legal issues facing companies using blockchain technologies, we ensure comprehensive guidance on finance, investment, corporate formation, structuring and operations, data privacy and cybersecurity risks, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance, as well as IP protection.

    Kramer Levin’s Fintech and Blockchain team is on the leading edge, poised to advise our clients as technologies develop and regulators strive to keep pace.

    Our lawyers can help with:

    Fintech

    • M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions: corporate structuring of the fintech firm; structuring of venture capital funding; drafting of documentation, declarations and other status applications
    • Joint ventures, strategic alliances and outsourcings between fintech actors and major banking and financial institutions
    • Fintech regulatory and compliance: from licensing to litigation, including sanctions proceedings
    • IP advice, protection and litigation
    • Payment services regulatory compliance advice and litigation
    • Cybersecurity and data privacy compliance advice and litigation
    • Tax strategy optimization

    Blockchain

    • Regulatory compliance for investing in blockchain technologies
    • Securities law advice in connection with decentralized finance (DeFi) and initial coin offerings (ICOs)
    • Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), including corporate formation, structuring, governance and tax issues
    • Security and data privacy issues specific to companies using blockchains
    • Open-source licensing of software used to manage blockchains
    • IP protection for technologies underlying blockchains
    • Copyright issues for nonfungible tokens (NFTs)

    Our firm is taking the lead in Europe, participating in the major European fintech think tanks, including as a member of various EU Commission working groups. Lawyers in our Paris office work closely with the World Bank to implement in different countries legal frameworks in blockchain and crypto assets. In addition, as chair of the Paris Europlace Fintech Committee and as chair of the Fintech group of the Haut Comité Juridique de Place, Kramer Levin lawyers have played a critical role in the adaptation of blockchain use, ICOs and the creation of token intermediary status reform legislation. Our lawyers frequently speak on these topics throughout the world.

    As technologies, regulations and laws develop, Kramer Levin will help clients avoid pitfalls and stay ahead.