Sam Maxson

Sam’s experience includes advising on:

Strategic Regulatory and Structuring

• A leading liquidity provider in digital assets, across a broad range of legal and regulatory initiatives, particularly in Hong Kong and across the Asia Pacific region, supporting its planned expansion and investment activities
• A leading global market maker and financial technology firm on Singapore regulatory considerations relating to cryptoasset trading activities
• A leading Asia-based stablecoin payments platform on a wide range of financial regulatory matters across Hong Kong, Singapore, and globally
• A Chinese multinational technology conglomerate on payments arrangements, and strategic regulatory considerations relating to developing cryptoasset regulation, across a number of jurisdictions 
• An Asia-based zkEVM Layer 2 scaling project on structuring and regulatory considerations relating to its protocol and token launch
• A leading global AI and blockchain technology company in relation to regulatory enquiries from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand
• A major PRC technology company on EU and UK payments regulatory compliance
• Midnight Foundation, an organization dedicated to advancing the development and adoption of the Midnight network, a privacy-enhancing blockchain empowering organizations to deliver regulation-friendly, data-protecting applications, on:
  • The distribution of the NIGHT token, a utility token designed to drive the innovative dual-component tokenomics powering Midnight transactions, incentivize Midnight block production, and enable Midnight community governance and ecosystem development
  • Its partnership with Monument Bank, a leading UK digital bank, to become the first UK bank to tokenize retail customer deposits, which generate interest similar to traditional deposits, on a public blockchain, the Midnight network
• Aztec on all aspects of the launch of the Aztec Network Mainnet and the associated distribution of the AZTEC token, including the c. US$60.8 million token sale, which used a novel continuous clearing auction mechanism developed jointly with Uniswap Labs
• Monad Foundation, an independent organization dedicated to supporting the development, adoption, and growth of the Monad blockchain protocol, on the launch of the Monad Public Mainnet along with the airdrop of its native network token, MON
• Nivaura on structuring its regulated custody and issuance platform for the tokenization of equity, recognised in the FT Innovative Lawyers Awards
• A leading global crypto business on the impact of the EU Markets in Cryptoassets Regulation (MiCA) across all aspects of its business and its related implementation project
• A leading crypto business on multijurisdictional legal and regulatory considerations relating to establishing a crypto “perpetuals” exchange
• Multiple CeFi and DeFi crypto businesses on regulatory considerations relating to staking structures and services
• A leading global bank on designing and documenting a tokenized gold product
• A major global bank on structuring considerations relating to tokenized deposits
• UK and EU authorized electronic money institutions on complex safeguarding queries
• A leading global payments company on designing and implementing a cryptocurrency e-commerce checkout product
• A leading global card network on legal and regulatory considerations relating to facilitating payments in cryptocurrencies
• A global cryptoasset business on the legal and regulatory structuring for issuing a euro-backed stablecoin
• Multiple Web3/crypto businesses on structuring and regulatory considerations relating to protocol and token launches, including airdrops and initial coin offerings (ICOs); project governance; and decentralization
• Multiple leading CeFi crypto businesses on applying the crypto “Travel Rule” to their business models
• A leading global crypto business on a skilled-person review under section 166 of the UK Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and ongoing supervisory engagement with the FCA
• A global crypto business on the possible consequences of civil and criminal enforcements actions from a strategic and global regulatory perspective
• A global bank on the structuring and documentation for its crypto-custody offering
• A global investment bank on the feasibility of a consortium-backed joint venture for the clearing and settlement of tokenized securities in the UK and the laws of a number of EU jurisdictions and the implications of establishing a central securities depository and its interoperability with TARGET2-Securities
• A fintech company on the legal feasibility of creating a platform for issuing and trading electronic trade finance documents under English law
• Distributed ledger technology (DLT) specialist Clearmatics and a consortium of leading investment banks on the Utility Settlement Coin project to develop a DLT-based payment system*

Licensing and Registration

• A subsidiary of a listed Chinese technology company in relation to its application for licensing as a stablecoin issuer under the first wave of applicants under the new Hong Kong Stablecoins Ordinance
• A leading crypto OTC trading business and market maker on a Hong Kong licensing feasibility study
• Coinbase on its successful applications for registration with the UK Financial Conduct Authority as a cryptoasset business and authorization as a cryptoasset service provider under the EU Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCA) by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier
• Portofino Technologies on successfully registering as a cryptoasset business with the FCA
• Hidden Road on successfully registering as a cryptoasset business with the FCA
• Elwood Technologies on its successful authorization as a service company by the FCA

Regulatory Frameworks and Consultations

• Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM), an Abu Dhabi-based regulator, on a new Foundations Regulatory Regime to facilitate the issuance of blockchain tokens
• Central Bank of Egypt on developing and drafting a bespoke legal and regulatory regime for payment systems, payments services, and FinTech to be adopted in that jurisdiction  
• A number of leading Web3 investment funds and startups on consultation responses and government/regulator engagement in relation to designing the UK regulatory regime for cryptoassets, focusing on decentralization

Transactions

• Stripe Inc. on global aspects of its acquisition of Bridge Ventures Inc., a stablecoins-based payments platform, and its shareholders
• Pioneer in the convergence of decentralized AI and Bitcoin treasury management, Satsuma Technology, on its successful admission to the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) Category (ESCC) of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange; the first company with a Bitcoin treasury strategy to be listed on the ESCC category
• Sixth Street Growth on its investment in a €285 million funding round for SumUp, a leading global financial services company
• Goldman Sachs as a lead investor in the £77.7 million Series B funding round of Fnality, a fintech focused on building blockchain-based wholesale payment systems to support the adoption of tokenized assets and marketplaces
• Permira Growth Opportunities on its participation in GoCardless’ US$312 million Series G
• Shift4Payments on its:
  • US$575 million acquisition of Credorax (dba Finaro), an Israel-based software financial technology and merchant acquiring group
  • Acquisition of Online Payments Group (dba SecurionPay), a leading EU online payments service provider based in Switzerland
  • US$396.75 million IPO on NYSE
• Financial advisors to cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase Global on its direct listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
• Financial advisers on Wise’s £8 billion direct listing on the London Stock Exchange
• a16z on regulatory matters relating to its Series A investment of US$20 million of preferred stock of Improbable MV Limited, a new Improbable blockchain venture

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham