We advise clients engaged in every aspect of the payments ecosystem as they expand their e-commerce and technology-powered payments capabilities (PayTech), including: 

•  Payments growth and optimization 
• Payment acceptance, permission, processing, issuing, and settlement services 
• Platform/marketplace payment expansion 
• Business-to-business, peer-to-peer, and in-app payments 
• National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) and payment card rule compliance 
• Cross-border payments 
• Digital wallets 
• Remittances 
• Virtual currency, gift cards, rebate cards, and other stored-value programs 
• Loyalty, membership cards, and “Points” programs 
• Co-branded credit card agreements 
• Bill-payment solutions 
• Payment industry technology standards 
•  Anti-fraud and payment security standards and practices 

We also provide comprehensive support for clients navigating the intricacies of money transfer, transmission, and remittance, inclusive of cross-border, wire transfer, direct deposit, direct debit, stored-value transfers (private currency), and cardholder-initiated transactions. Our role is to help clients smoothly navigate the regulatory landscape that oversees their money transfer and remittance activities, from the initial assessment to application, and ongoing license maintenance and support. 

Perkins Coie was at the forefront of blockchain legal matters when we began advising clients on the technology and its legal implications in 2013. We were the first major U.S. law firm to accept Bitcoin for legal services and have built a highly regarded practice that has been involved in many of the most significant events in the blockchain industry. Our team is known for their deep knowledge of the rules that are facing blockchain technologies and digital currencies. We work with more than 300 clients in the blockchain space and have helped launch hundreds of digital assets and networks. 

We regularly address a range of concerns related to cryptocurrency and blockchain in the financial sector, including those surrounding custody/trust of digital assets, decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, institutional cryptocurrency, stablecoins, money transmission licensure requirements, money- services business (MSB) registration requirements, and digital payments issues. We also support clients in all aspects of domestic and cross-border finance and commodity and derivatives trading compliance programs. Learn more.

In financial services compliance and fighting financial crimes, we help create strict infrastructure and programs. We do this by helping to make sure that all risks are considered and that anti-money laundering (AML) and U.S. sanctions are followed. Our work spans financial privacy disclosures, cybersecurity standards, and the defense of our clients before the various regulatory bodies overseeing fintech and financial institutions at the state and federal levels. 

Our support is built on an integrated and comprehensive suite of services that addresses: 

• Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management. We deliver ongoing counsel on AML risk evaluation, design of compliance and control frameworks, policy and procedure authoring, training and communication programs; continued support for in-house compliance teams; assessment of vendors and technologies; and provision of interim and additional staffing for internal chief compliance officers. 
• Regtech Support. Our goal is to help our clients use technology to follow the rules and stay up-to-date with the latest rules. We work together to look at and use regtech solutions. We make sure the technology fits well with their compliance, due diligence, and security practices. This includes areas like risk management and regulatory reporting. 
• Regulatory Enforcement and Civil Litigations. We represent fintech clients in a range of regulatory and civil litigation defense, from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) investigations. This includes state securities board, financial services, and attorney general investigations, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and anti-money laundering (AML) inquiries involving the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC), and the other federal regulators that oversee AML and OFAC compliance; as well as addressing actions by state financial services regulators, including allegations of unlicensed money transmission or failure to adhere to money transmission license obligations. 

We have a lot of experience in technology and financial services. We help companies and investors with their investment and capitalization plans and transactions. These include looking into partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions, joint ventures, carve-outs, spin-offs, recapitalizations, growth equity investments, and other deals. Our finance lawyers are very involved in the blockchain venture space. They have helped many clients find and get the money they need to start their business. 

Our advisory services include all types of new, technology-driven banking and consumer financial products and services. These include marketplace lending, neo-banks, and the people who make Banking as-a Service (BaaS) and open banking possible. We guide those who use data and technology to craft focused financial services for individual consumers, such as lending, checking, savings, and personal finance management. We think of a future where BaaS is a key player. This will let both banks and non-banks expand their offerings easily. This gives fintech companies a chance to enter markets that were once controlled by traditional retail banks. It also helps banks compete better online. Because the success of these emerging models hinges on the fluidity of consumer data, our technology-centric legal team is uniquely equipped to support these next-generation banking and financial initiatives.