FinTech

Ropes & Gray is a trusted advisor to companies developing, adopting and applying innovative technologies to reshape the way market participants conduct business around the globe.

Overview

Ropes & Gray’s multidisciplinary FinTech team draws upon the capabilities and resources from practice groups across the firm to offer clients integrated, strategic and practical advice related to securities regulation, patent litigation, trade secrets, Lanham Act litigation, unfair competition claims, intellectual property licensing and transactions, M&A, regulated investment management, banking, tax planning, privacy and cybersecurity, capital markets, insurance, and related risk management and litigation. 

Through decades of experience handling complex matters for financial services and technology clients, our multidisciplinary team has a deep understanding of the trends and issues facing clients both emerging and established in the FinTech industry. We combine legal knowledge with a strong understanding of our clients’ business needs to advise on a range of regulatory and transactional issues related to blockchain, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs), big data, insurtech, information technology, compliance technology (regtech), robo-advisors and P2P tech. Further information regarding our cryptocurrency and blockchain practice may be found here. Our team has advised a wide range of clients, both private and public, on FinTech issues. Our clients include global banks, payment processing and blockchain technology companies, and asset managers such as hedge funds, private investment funds and investment management firms.

Our recent FinTech experience includes advising or representing:

  • Various clients with respect to cryptocurrency fund formation and related issues.
  • Summit Partners, a global alternative investment firm, in its $1.2 billion sale of ABILITY Network, a leading cloud-based software-as-a-service health care technology company, to technology company Inovalon.
  • TPG Growth’s global impact fund, The Rise Fund, in its investment in Varo Money, a mobile-banking financial technology company.
  • The founders of TCP LifeSystems, an insurance software solutions provider in the United States, U.K., Canada and Ireland, in its acquisition by insurance and financial services software provider iPipeline. 
  • Baillie Gifford in its investment in Ant Financial Services Group, China’s biggest online payment platform.
  • Digital Asset Trade Association, a blockchain trade association, in matters related to legislation and public policy.
  • A wealth management software company on numerous privacy- and data security-related matters.
  • Decentralized Code Network (Deconet), a blockchain company, in intellectual property licensing matters.
  • Credorax, a privately held credit card processing business, on executive compensation work.
  • Digital information services companies in tax disputes before state revenue agencies, relating to the classification of products as information services or as software.
  • FinTech investors and companies with respect to IRS third-party summons and subpoenas.
  • Tax investigations into cryptocurrency holdings and tax reporting. 
  • PayStand, a cloud-based payments-as-a-service platform, in one of the first patent litigations to be brought against a blockchain company, OHVA v. PayStand
Experience

“They are efficient, thoughtful and professional. They are able to plan effectively, provide valuable insight and produce excellent results.”
IP Client, Chambers USA