FinTech

Debevoise provides comprehensive services to Financial Institutions, such as banking institutions, insurance companies, and broker-dealers, engaging in FinTech acquisitions, joint ventures, and other activities.  FinTech companies and private equity firms also turn to us when acquiring interests in financial institutions and providing financial services products and activities, either on their own or through a joint venture with a Financial Institution.

As FinTech companies engage in an ever increasing range of activities, including mortgage and commercial lending, payment services, robo-advising, and brokerage and trading, and thus a broad range of expertise is required to service this growing industry.  Our integrated Debevoise team consists of members of our market leading Banking, Consumer Banking, Insurance, Technology, Investment Management, Funds, Broker-Dealer, Derivatives, M&A, Tax, Data Strategy and Data Security (including A.I), and a range of Litigation and White Collar and Regulatory Defense teams. We also advise on related Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions, Volcker Rule, and state and federal laws. Working as a team with out clients, we ensure prompt, comprehensive, and efficient coverage of the myriad issues.

A compendium of our thought leadership, including, webinars, seminars, Client Updates, and blogs is available here, arranged by subject matter.

Examples of our capabilities include:

  • Assisting Financial Institutions to acquire FinTech firms to enhance customer access and the customer experience. We assist Financial Institutions not only to evaluate the regulatory permissibility of the acquisition and acquire FinTech companies, but also to structure the acquisition properly to ensure it provides maximum benefit to the institution.
  • Assisting Financial Institutions to acquire meaningful but non-controlling stakes in FinTech companies. These investments can afford Financial Institutions access to the services at a lesser cost and without subjecting the FinTech company to the acquirer’s regulatory framework.
  • Assisting Private Equity firms and FinTech providers to acquire Financial Institutions, such as banks (including Industrial Loan Companies, which do not result in the owner becoming subject to federal bank regulation), and (with or without a bank) to engage in a broad range of financial activities.
  • Assisting Financial Institutions, Private Equity Firms and FinTech providers in the creation of joint ventures, which create additional challenges
  • Leading pre- and post-acquisition diligence and advice, including table-top exercises, to ensure the data security of the target to protect against a Cyber-breach, the top risk identified by regulators for several years.
  • Addressing the initial and ongoing regulatory concerns in many transactions or initiatives in this environment, including AML/Sanctions, Volcker Rule, Broker-Dealer, ERISA and CFIUS.
  • Using our integrated Financial Institution Enforcement and Litigation Defense expertise both to reduce the risk of enforcement and litigation when considering and acquisition or new activity, and to defend Financial Institutions and FinTech providers if such events occur.