At A&O Shearman, the fintech department garners praise for being 'one of the front-runners in the fintech space'. The 'highly knowledgeable' team has a solid track record in advising on a wide range of complex matters, including issues concerning online processing platforms and payment work. The group is also highly regarded for assisting prominent banks with the fintech-related aspects of cross-border M&A deals. Gijs Linse handles M&A and commercial law issues in the fintech space; he co-heads the practice with financial regulatory specialist Pien Kerckhaert.
Fintech in Netherlands
A&O Shearman
Praxisleiter:
Pien Kerckhaert; Gijs Linse
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Jonathan Heeringa; Natusia Tensen-Szeliga; Gerard Kastelein; Jort de Groodt; Christiaan de Brauw
Referenzen
‘The team is one of the front-runners in the fintech space, and looks toward possibilities and not just to uncertainties and difficulties.’
‘Their pragmatic approach, together with their highly knowledgeable team, is a big asset in fintech transactions. ’
‘Jonathan Heeringa is always involved, and with his experience he is a big help.’
Kernmandanten
EPI Company SE
Saxo Bank A/S
BinckBank N.V.
Silverflow
PayPal
Amdax
Highlight-Mandate
- Assisting BinckBank and Saxo Bank with a cross-border merger involving the full integration of BinckBank’s activities into Saxo Bank’s platform.
- Advised payment processing platform Silverflow on its €17m Series A investment round led by Coatue Management.
Finnius
Finnius' fintech practice handles the full spectrum of fintech work. Bart Bierman regularly acts for start-up banks and investment firms, and is also well known for handling licensing matters in the fintech space. Tim de Wit handles fund matters and e-money issues, while Casper Riekerk assists with regulatory issues.
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Bart Bierman; Casper Riekerk; Tim de Wit; Guido Roth
Referenzen
‘Value for money, great expertise.’
‘True matter experts.’
Kernmandanten
Acrisure Group
Aegon Bank
Amdax B.V.
Bitonic B.V.
Bitvavo B.V.
bunq B.V.
Carbon Equity
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Europe)
Credit Europe Bank N.V.
Cyber Capital
Ecco Nova SPRL
FINOM Payments B.V.
Floryn B.V.
IBS Capital
Jex
Kwynt Management B.V.
Mastercard Europe SA/NV
Midaspay Europe
Mizuho Bank Europe N.V.
Nederlandse Waterschapsbank N.V.
OBAM Investment Management B.V.
Odido
Pelican Payment Services B.V.
Plaid B.V.
Quantoz Payments
Quintet
Semmie.nl B.V.
Sem.nl B.V.
Tencent
Triodos Bank
Van Lawick & Co
Vivid Money
WeChatPay
Highlight-Mandate
- Acting as EU regulatory counsel to Mastercard, including advising on the impact of the new PISA framework and the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which aims to cover fintech activities.
- Assisted Quantoz Payments with obtaining its e-money license.
- Assisting Bitvavo with a range of financial regulatory matters, as well as advising the client on its application for its MiCA license.
NautaDutilh
NautaDutilh‘s practice is 'leading in terms of quality of specialized regulatory and financial services advice'. The group has an excellent reputation in the fintech space, and regularly assists an established client base of domestic and international entities with a broad spectrum of complex fintech matters. Larissa Silverentand has 'a wealth of knowledge, a keen sense of strategic insight and the ability to help you think through very complex matters, providing relevant advice and practical solutions'. Jasha Sprecher stands out as 'a true market leader for payments and crypto work'. Silverentand and Sprecher co-head the department with Frans van der Eerden, Sven Uiterwijk and Joris Willems.
Praxisleiter:
Larissa Silverentand; Jasha Sprecher; Frans van der Eerden; Sven Uiterwijk; Joris Willems
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Roderick Watson; David den Blaauwen; Alex Draaisma; Willemijn Pieters
Referenzen
‘I have had the pleasure of working with Jasha Sprecher on various legal matters over the years, and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the outcomes. He always demonstrates exceptional expertise, professionalism, and dedication. I highly recommend Jasha Sprecher to anyone in need of top-notch legal advice.’
‘As a one-stop shop with high-quality expertise and experience in dealing with global and local aspects of international organization, they offer a broad range of legal and regulatory services ensuring all relevant aspects are thoroughly taken into consideration, offering practical and relevant strategic advice, involving other relevant practices as needed to ensure comprehensive and timely deliverables. ’
‘Working with Larissa and Jasha on a variety of matters has been a pleasure as they are engaged, straight-talking, consistent and honest in their opinions. Larissa has a wealth of knowledge, a keen sense of strategic insight and the ability to help you think through very complex matters, providing relevant advice and practical solutions, supported by excellent lawyers.’
Kernmandanten
ABN AMRO
ABN AMRO Clearing Bank
AFS Group
Airwallex
American Express
Argentex
Booking.com
BrandNewDay
Captin
Deutsche Bank
European Merchant Services
First Data
Franx B.V.
Geldmaat
GSN
ING Bank
Klarna
Knab (Aegon Bank)
Modulr
NIBC Bank
Prosus / PayU
Rabobank
Rewire (now part of Remitly)
Safely
Saxobank
Takeaway
Triodos
Uber
Wex
WorldFirst
Worldline
WorldPay
FIS
Xe (part of Euronet)
ZEBEDEE
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised the client on its partnership with Allianz for its digital insurance offering to business customers in the Netherlands.
- Assisted the client with its application for an EMI license in the Netherlands.
- Assisted ABN AMRO with the acquisition of neobroker Bux.
Bird & Bird
The fintech practice at Bird & Bird is well versed in advising on the fintech aspects of domestic and international transactional matters, as well as handling complex regulatory cases. Marjolein Geus, who has a core focus on regulatory matters, leads on the European Blockchain Sandbox project for the European Commission; she co-heads the department with Pauline Kuipers and Roger Van Buuren.
Praxisleiter:
Marjolein Geus; Pauline Kuipers; Roger Van Buuren
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Wilfred Steenbruggen; Joost van Roosmalen
Referenzen
‘Great, on-topic knowledge and good cooperation between the various team members and us as clients.’
‘Good technical knowledge and understanding of the new challenges and opportunities in the fintech industry.’
‘Marjolein Geus did a fantastic job in organizing everything, keeping us up-to-date with how everything was proceeding. During the project I felt like we almost became friends instead of just interacting with your average partner. Warm recommendation!’
Kernmandanten
European Commission
Stichting 2Tokens
ABN AMRO N.V.
Rabobank
deltaDAO
Lukka
Nuggets
Anotherblock
Equilibrium
Mastercard Europe S.A.
IoT Nederland
IOTA Foundation
EastNets
Hacken
Brickken
DigiShares
REClosure
Trrue
Custodiex
Amdax
Celebratix
Metaseum
TDE (OnYourMarks)
Highlight-Mandate
- Acting as counsel to the EU Commission on establishing a regulatory sandbox for blockchain and decentralized data solutions.
- Acting for Mastercard in two high-profile regulatory matters.
CMS
The team at CMS is well known for ‘its ability to navigate the complex landscape of financial regulations swiftly and professionally‘. The group acts for insurers, fintech companies and BNPL providers on a wide range of matters, and has a solid track record in handling blockchain and cryptocurrency work. Tessa Penninks has extensive experience in assisting with insurtech and lending cases; she co-heads the department with the ‘exceptional’ Clair Wermers. Other key practitioners include Laurens Pronk, who regularly advises domestic and international financial institutions on work, and Karsten Bruinsma, who has ‘profound expertise in Dutch legislation and fintech-specific regulations‘.
Praxisleiter:
Tessa Penninks; Clair Wermers
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Karsten Bruinsma; Laurens Pronk
Referenzen
‘The team at CMS Amsterdam stands out for their collaborative approach in helping us create a comprehensive roadmap that outlines how token finance impacts businesses. As a front-runner in this field, CMS is invaluable to the mission of our foundation and the broader advancement of tokenization.’
‘Clair Wermers has demonstrated outstanding commitment. Her practical approach, combined with her deep expertise in these areas, makes her an invaluable asset to companies seeking guidance on tokenization. With Clair on your team, success is guaranteed.’
‘CMS is a leading international law firm that stands out for its deep expertise in tokenization and blockchain.’
Kernmandanten
Lemonade
Klarna
Billink
In3
Riverty
Renault Finance
The Dutch Blockchain Coalition
Alpha Group International
2Tokens
Commerzbank
Volkswagen Pon Financial Services
PayPal
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised Lemonade on the implementation of the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).
- Advised the Dutch Blockchain Coalition on the Dutch regulatory aspects regarding Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAO).
- Advised four major Dutch BNPL providers on establishing a code of conduct for improving service quality and establishing best practices.
Osborne Clarke
Osborne Clarke‘s team is 'responsive, engaging, and extremely knowledgeable about all areas of fintech'. Under the leadership of Johannes de Jong, the group is well versed in handling regulatory matters in the fintech space, and has been kept busy assisting with license applications relating to crypto, e-money and payments. Juliet de Graaf assists with securities matters and contractual issues. Anka Langedijk is a name to note.
Praxisleiter:
Johannes de Jong
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Juliet de Graaf; Anka Langedijk
Referenzen
‘Osborne Clarke is practical and provides business-orientated advice that helped our business navigate the regulatory landscape and develop a strategy that was tailored to our risk appetite.’
‘They are responsive, engaging, and extremely knowledgeable about all areas of fintech. The team also delivers honest feedback in a timely manner (and not just what the client wants to hear), which is exactly what is needed in the emerging world of crypto asset regulations.’
‘Johannes de Jong is the best fintech lawyer in the Netherlands and provides legal advice that protects and advances business interests at the same time, which is not an easy thing to do. He staffs matters appropriately and has built a great team.’
Kernmandanten
Airbnb
Payabl.
Banking Circle
BUX
ClearBank Europe
MoonPay
ING Bank N.V.
PayPal (Europe) S.à.r.l.
XXImo
Van Eck Asset Management B.V.
Highlight-Mandate
- Advising ClearBank Europe N.V. on obtaining a full banking licence in the Netherlands.
- Advising MoonPay on the first MiCAR licence to be submitted in the EU.
- Assisting the client with obtaining its EMI licence from the Dutch Central Bank; this was the first e-money licence application in the Netherlands with a sole focus on serving crypto platforms.
FG Lawyers
FG Lawyers' team stands out for its 'in-depth knowledge of all financial regulatory matters', and has 'a lot of expertise and experience in fintech'. Anne Hakvoort is very well known for her established track record in advising on platform-driven business models, as well as blockchain-related matters; she co-heads the department with Thom Beenen and Joost van Hunnik.
Praxisleiter:
Anne Hakvoort; Thom Beenen; Joost van Hunnik
Referenzen
‘They have in-depth knowledge of all financial regulatory matters.’
‘They stand out for their expertise, knowledge, hands-on approach, pragmatism and availability.’
‘We have been working for many years with FG lawyers in the field of fintech to our satisfaction. They are hands-on and deliver good quality work.’
Kernmandanten
AION Bank SA/NV
BridgeFund
Archax Europe
Pulse4all
DELA Natura- en levensverzekeringen
Oney Bank S.A.
Coinmerce
SME Bank and SME Go
SumUp Limited
LiteBit
Highlight-Mandate
- Assisting a large Dutch crypto service provider with its MiCAR license.
- Assisted BridgeFund with expansion and restructuring matters.
Loyens & Loeff
At Loyens & Loeff, the team's 'deep knowledge of and experience with Dutch and EU financial regulations is readily apparent'. Key areas of instruction for the group include compliance issues and fintech-related acquisitions. The practice is led by the 'sharp, savvy, pragmatic, reachable, responsive, and highly professional' Martijn Schoonewille. Wendy Pronk is 'very bright, accessible, and displays a strong knowledge of applicable laws and regulations'.
Praxisleiter:
Martijn Schoonewille
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Wendy Pronk; Eva Laan
Referenzen
‘Knowledgeable, practical and pragmatic.’
‘Dedicated, flexible, and professional.’
‘Their advice has been unfailingly sound and pragmatic, they anticipate questions and address them before they are raised, they are highly responsive, and they are very cost efficient.’
Kernmandanten
GTCR
DUFAS, VV&A
de Pensioenfederatie
Verbond van Verzekeraars
DutchChain
Fourthline
Open Bank S.A.
Highlight-Mandate
- Advised GTCR as Dutch regulatory counsel on its acquisition of a majority stake in Worldpay, a global provider of payment processing solutions, from FIS.
- Advised various Dutch associations for asset managers, banks, pension funds and insurers on creating standard agreements to amend existing and future agreements for ICT services and ensure compliance with DORA.
Simmons & Simmons
The fintech team at Simmons & Simmons is well versed in assisting international crypto companies with a broad range of regulatory issues in the fintech space, as well as advising on compliance with Dutch legal frameworks. Rezah Stegeman heads the practice, which was bolstered with the arrival of Jaap Tempelman in June 2024.
Praxisleiter:
Rezah Stegeman
Weitere Kernanwälte:
Koen van Leeuwen; Jaap Tempelman; Harmen Wielens
Referenzen
‘The team is very responsive. Their deliverables are of excellent quality. The team has a great understanding of the regulations and their analysis is thorough.’
‘Koen and the team are very prompt, they keep track of the deadlines and are always on top of any development. They care to understand the business model and propose solutions that align with our objectives.’
‘The team has experience in dealing with international companies and provides practical and actionable advice suited to the type of activity of their clients.’
Kernmandanten
Avian Labs
Binance
Coinmerce
Hidden Road
Jane Street
Robinhood
World First
Zero Hash
Highlight-Mandate
- Acted as EU regulatory counsel to financial services company Robinhood on the $200m acquisition of Bitstamp.
- Assisting a client with obtaining the regulatory approvals required from the Dutch Central Bank for the $200m acquisition of MultiSafepay.
- Assisted Zero Hash with obtaining a registration as a crypto service provider with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB).