Ed McNicholas and Samer Musallam to Present at ACI Fintech Conference

Data, privacy & cybersecurity partner Ed McNicholas and antitrust, litigation & enforcement partner Samer Musallam (both of Washington, D.C.) will speak at the American Conference Institute’s 5th Annual Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Forum on FinTech & Emerging Payment Systems, which will take place virtually on May 18-19, 2021.

Samer Musallam will present on a panel on May 19 at 11:05am EST titled “Making a Fintech Partnership Work: How to Minimize the Biggest Legal Pitfalls When Partnering with Banks, Credit Unions and Card Companies to Roll Out a Product or Service.” As the bundling of financial services products accelerates and continues on overdrive, this panel examines the potential for operational risk and legal challenges with FinTech partnerships. Topics discussed will include:

• Deciding when a bank partnership is the right path
• Selecting a bank partner: product fit, business fit, risk fit
• Negotiating partnership terms and program agreements to mitigate legal, regulatory, and key business risks
• Managing the bank partner relationship
• Transitioning from a bank partner relationship
• Potential challenges to the bank partnership model (true lender issues)

Samer will present alongside Shopify Legal Counsel Tim Sullivan, Branch General Counsel Smitha Mortis, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Partner Andrew J. Lorentz. 

Ed will participate in a panel on May 19 at 3:45pm EST titled “The Intricacies of Consumer Privacy, Personal Data and Avoidance of Discrimination: The Legal Risks Associated with the Use of ‘Alternative Data’ to Underwrite Credit: How to Maximize Your Customer Base While Ensuring Equal Lending.” In addition to a brief overview of recent changes to national and international data privacy and protection laws (e.g., CCPA) and their legal impact for fintech companies, the session will examine:

• A brief overview of recent changes to national and international data privacy and protection laws (e.g., CCPA) and their legal impact for Fintech companies
• What the expansion of the CCPA means for Fintech and emerging payments companies operating outside of California
• “Alternative data” and what the legal obligations are for companies to protect their customers’ privacy and personal data
• Why and how the use of alternative data increases the risk of “discrimination”, and what companies can do to ensure equal lending
• Key challenges faced by in-house counsel regarding international data transfers and the use of customer/consumer data being transferred across borders
• Who owns the data? Addressing the debate around personal financial data ownership and portability: Assessing what the EU has done and what it means for the U.S.

Ed will be joined on the panel by Fiserv Global Chief Privacy Counsel Sheryl Ann Yamunder, Duane Morris LLP Partner Robin McGrath, and Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP Special Counsel Jessica Sklute.

For more information on the conference, click here