Next Generation Partners

Regulatory and compliance in Bermuda

Appleby

With both contentious and non-contentious expertise, the team at Appleby is highly adept at handling a wide range of business and financial services regulation matters, including compliance, corporate governance, and regulatory and risk advisory work. This offering encompasses assistance with AML and ATF programmes, sanction compliance policies, the mitigation of money laundering and terrorist financing risks, and the obtainment of regulatory licences. Sally Penrose leads the regulatory practice alongside John Wasty, who also chairs the dispute resolution department. Penrose also heads up the firm’s legal focus group dedicated to driving legislative change, while Wasty’s client base consists of (re)insurers, captives, hedge funds, investment advisors, and financial institutions, and he supports them throughout investigations and enforcement actions.

Praxisleiter:

Sally Penrose; John Wasty


Kernmandanten

Bermuda Monetary Authority


Aegon


Highlight-Mandate


  • Acted for the Bermuda Monetary Authority in seeking the compulsory winding up of the Wine Investment Fund Limited, an insolvent investment fund that was in significant breach of its regulatory obligations.
  • Acted as Bermuda counsel to the Aegon group in connection with its re-domiciliation of Aegon N.V. to Bermuda.

Carey Olsen Bermuda Limited

Carey Olsen Bermuda Limited boasts ‘in-depth market knowledge’, as well as an ‘exceptional relationships with regulators’. Its offering is multi-disciplinary, with regulatory, employment, immigration, corporate, trusts, and dispute resolution lawyers working collaboratively on contentious and non-contentious regulatory and compliance issues across transactional and non-transactional mandates. This includes advice on establishing businesses and fulfilling ongoing regulatory obligations. Providing regulatory investigative support to financial institutions is another core area of activity. Dispute resolution partners Michael Hanson and Kyle Masters head up the practice alongside corporate partners Gavin Woods and Steven Rees Davies. Hanson has expertise in reputation risk and crisis management scenarios, and Masters heads up the regulatory enforcement and protect department. Woods is skilled in the licensing of new entities, while Rees Davies is notable for his experience in fin-tech and digital assets regulatory matters. Matthew Watson is the latest addition to the team, having joined from Cox Hallett Wilkinson Limited in June 2023.

Praxisleiter:

Michael Hanson; Kyle Masters; Gavin Woods; Steven Rees Davies


Weitere Kernanwälte:

Michael Frith; Ashley Fife; Charissa Ball; Alexandra Fox; Matthew Watson


Referenzen

‘In-depth market knowledge, exceptional relationships with regulators and a commercial application to regulatory and compliance that is rare to find.’

‘Kyle Masters is sharp with exceptional attention to detail, holds incomparable relationships with government and regulators that provides insight that you cant buy. Brilliant, responsive and committed.’

‘Michael Hanson oozes credibility, the only person in Bermuda you want to head up serious or complex regulatory and compliance matters. Responsiveness is off the charts. When he speaks, the regulators will listen. Savvy, commercial and no nonsense but also an absolute pleasure to work with.’

Kernmandanten

Alcority Services Limited


Annuity & Life Re Limited and Pope Asset Management LLP


Aon Insurance Co


BCT Limited


Bermuda Captive Network


Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited


Cactus Limited


Chard Re Investment Management


Fidelity National Title Insurance Company Limited


Fortitude Re


Granville Technology Group Limited (In liquidation)


Hiscox


JetBlue Airways Corporation


Mexico Infrastructure Finance LLC


NewOcean Energy Holdings Ltd


OT Computers Limited (In liquidation)


RenaissanceRe Holdings


SiriusPoint


Teneo Bermuda


Transocean


Trump Panama Hotel Management LLC


Trump International Hotels Management, LLC


VMT Limited (In liquidation)


Waterloo Investment Holdings


World on Wireless Ltd (Joint Provisional Liquidators of World on Wireless Ltd)


Highlight-Mandate


  • Acting for Aon and a number of its subsidiaries, including White Rock, in what has been described in the press as ‘likely the largest fraud ever in the Bermuda (re)insurance market’ and what has become known in the industry as the ‘Vesttoo fraud’.
  • Advised Bittrex Global (Bermuda), a global crypto currency exchange, licenced in the US, Liechtenstein and Bermuda on matters following the board’s determination I n 2023 that it was in the interest of all parties to wind-down operations.
  • Advised the Bermuda Medical Doctors Association on a strategy to oppose proposed amendments to the Bermuda Health Council Act which intend to allow the Bermuda Health Council the power to demand patient and other financial information in order to satisfy a direction of the Minister of Health.

Walkers

Walkers has strong capabilities in providing clients with regulatory advice, both domestically and internationally. Its offering includes advice on licensing applications, compliance, corporate governance, AML, and sanctions. On the contentious side, it represents clients in enforcement actions, appeals, judicial reviews, and insolvency proceedings. With expertise in advising financial institutions and digital asset businesses on contentious and non-contentious regulatory mandates, Leonie Tear joined the team from King & Wood Mallesons in June 2025 to jointly head up the practice alongside Cayman-based Lucy Frew. Previous co-head of the department Natalie Neto remains an active team member advising companies and directors on fiduciary duty matters. Melanie Fullerton joined RenaissanceRe in September 2023.

Praxisleiter:

Lucy Frew; Leonie Tear


Weitere Kernanwälte:

Natalie Neto; Sarah Demerling; Rachel Nightingale; Steven White


Referenzen

‘I have worked with the Walkers Bermuda team for the last 5 years and I am consistently impressed with their capabilities, ability to navigate the regulatory framework and the collaborative manner in how they work.’

Kernmandanten

Apex Fund Services Ltd


Bancolombia


BlockFi International ltd


Coinbase Global Inc


Credora


Intermediary Services Ltd


Diamond Standard


DigitalArray ISAC Ltd


Jewel Bancorp Ltd


PV01 Capital Markets Ltd


Clear Blue Speciality Insurance


Grant Thornton as provisional liquidators of Bittrex Global Ltd


Highlight-Mandate


  • Represented Coinbase Global Inc on is second successful Class F digital assets business licence under the Digital Asset Business Act 2018 from the Bermuda Monetary Authority within a period of 12 months.
  • Represented BlockFi International Ltd and Ernst & Young as joint liquidators in parallel proceedings to BlockFi Group chapter 11 proceedings in the US.
  • Advising Clear Blue Specialty Insurance Company on all matters relating to the provisional liquidation proceedings in Bermuda and Bermuda law aspects of the Chapter 11 and New York proceedings, and has appeared in the regulatory proceedings on the main petition and various applications, including to support sanction of compromise agreements settled by the provisional liquidators in the Chapter 11.

Conyers

The regulatory group at Conyers has expertise in advising clients on a range of regulatory-related matters, including anti-money laundering, sanctions, anti-bribery and corruption, and data protection mandates. The department is especially active in the insurance industry. Director Julie McLean heads up the practice and leads the firm’s funds, insurance, and corporate teams through regulatory issues, especially those involving AML and ATF requirements. The team is also home to Ben Adamson, who handles contentious and non-contentious administrative law, and Sarah Blair, who is especially active in the regulatory elements of employment mandates.

Praxisleiter:

Julie McLean


Weitere Kernanwälte:

Ben Adamson; Andrew Barnes; Sarah Blair; Britt Smith


Referenzen

‘Julie McLean is commercial and responsive.’

Highlight-Mandate


  • Advised a number of clients, including ICM Limited and Cheyne Capital International Limited, on being registered as a Class B Person under the Investment Business Act.
  • Advised a number of reinsurance clients on compliance under the Personal Information Protection Act scheduled to come into full force on the 1st January 2025.
  • Advised Everest on various employment and human rights issues, including on employee disability leave and access to disability benefits.

ASW Law Limited

ASW Law Limited's regulatory expertise sits within the firm’s corporate and finance offering. The (re)insurance industry remains a key strength for the group, and it is also active in the technology, agricultural, banking, and oil and gas sectors. Neil Horner, head of the corporate department, has significant expertise in the regulatory elements of M&A transactions. Kim Willey is another notable name in providing regulatory and compliance advice to commercial insurance groups. Hanno Tolhurst is also an active member of the practice.

Weitere Kernanwälte:

Neil Horner; Kehinde George; Rod Attride-Stirling; Hanno Tolhurst; Kim Willey; Matthew Mason;


Kernmandanten

Advantage Capital Holdings LLC and its affiliates


Argo Group International Holdings Ltd


Nippon Life Insurance Company


American International Group Inc


Bouldertech Labs Ltd


26North Partners


Agam Capital Management LLC


The Arbitrum Foundation


Markel Bermuda Limited


Highlight-Mandate


  • Advised speciality insurance underwriter Argo on all Bermuda legal aspects of its acquisition by Brookfield Reinsurance in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately USD1.1bn.
  • Advised Nippon on its proposed acquisition of a 20% stake in Corebridge Financial Inc.
  • Advised American International Group Inc on all Bermuda legal aspects of its USD3.3bn sales of Validus Re to RenasissanceRe, including the Bermuda legal aspects of the sale and purchase agreement and all required Bermuda regularly approval.