At the forefront of innovation, Wilson Sonsini’s Fintech and Financial Services Group provides creative and compliant solutions to resolve complex regulatory and transactional issues faced by innovative companies in the financial services sector. As the leading law firm for technology enterprises, our support extends to a wide range of companies: innovators in disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, or blockchain; alternative investment platforms; robo-advisers; peer-lending platforms; and innovative payment systems. The Fintech and Financial Services Group guides clients through the complex and shifting legal and regulatory landscape, providing practical counsel to help our clients pursue innovative business lines with a sound legal framework.
Guiding Companies Through Complex Legal and Regulatory Regimes
At the heart of our work is regulatory counseling. We advise companies with financial products and services on legal and regulatory requirements under statutes such as the Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Investment Company Act of 1940 (’40 Act), the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, the Commodity Exchange Act, and the Bank Holding Company Act; the rules of self-regulatory organizations such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the National Futures Association (NFA); and state laws such as money transmission and trust company statutes.
Beyond Regulatory Counseling: A Comprehensive Legal Partner
Wilson Sonsini supports the unique needs of each fintech client throughout its lifetime. Our corporate attorneys have deep expertise in guiding fintechs from founding and early-stage seed rounds through public offerings and beyond. Our technology transactions, intellectual property, tax, national security, privacy, and other specialist teams take a creative and practical approach to addressing the unique issues that fintech clients face. We are best-in-class in commercial negotiations and contracting for regulated financial services clients. Working together on a comprehensive basis, we help companies avoid foot faults that can lead to future problems and point them toward success.
Broad Expertise
Our attorneys have extensive experience across all fintech and financial services sub-sectors, including the following:
- Crowdfunding and alternative investment platforms, including those offering investments in diverse asset classes such as movie development, gaming, collectibles, real estate, drug and medical devices, and others; broker-dealers and funding portals facilitating Regulation Crowdfunding offerings; and peer-lending platforms offering payment-dependent notes or other investments in consumer, mortgage, or small business loans, publicly or privately.
- Payments and banking providers, including neo-banks, virtual credit card issuers, online personal finance platforms, open banking apps, and innovative money services businesses and money transmitters.
- Investment advisers, broker-dealers, alternative trading systems, and other intermediaries, including robo-advisers, social media investment platforms, renewable energy asset trading facilities, and private securities, among others.
- Blockchain and digital currency-related businesses, including Web 3.0 projects and blockchain-based gaming platforms, blockchain-based securities and settlement platforms, and decentralized finance platforms.
