Market Infrastructure

Why choose our Financial Market Infrastructure Lawyers?

We constantly work on new structures (including distributed ledger technology and digital assets) and regularly interact with operators of financial market infrastructure. We also advise firms looking to set up new infrastructure and regularly advise on the implications of operating regulated infrastructure and on the pathways to authorisation.

Our clients include global investment banks, investment firms, market makers and proprietary trading firms, commodities dealers, hedge funds, asset managers, and payment services and e-money institutions.

We also advise custodians, exchanges, trading platforms, payment and settlement service providers which provide the essential "plumbing" that supports the financial markets.

We advise clients on the full spectrum of financial services regulation in this area, including CCP recovery and resolution, prudential regulation, regulatory margining, transaction reporting and trade transparency, direct and indirect clearing, authorisation and perimeter issues, Bank of England oversight (including under Part 5 of the Banking Act), market abuse, high-frequency and algorithmic trading, and direct market access.

We have a wealth of experience advising on the documentary and transactional aspects of participating in an infrastructure, including direct and indirect derivatives clearing agreements, and rulebook reviews and analysis. We also support engagement with regulators, where members of our team are able to draw on their experience of working at the Bank of England and the FCA.

We can also bring together cross-disciplinary expertise as needed, including technology, data and privacy, insolvency, dispute resolution and investigations, intellectual property, and competition.

Our team are at the forefront of legal, regulatory and technological developments and are experts on the key challenges facing market participants.