Named experts · Practitioner profile
About Ian
Ian O'Mara is a partner in Matheson's Financial Institutions Group in Dublin, admitted in Ireland in 2016. He advises virtual-asset service providers and crypto firms on authorisation and on the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. He was one of two lead partners on Matheson's work securing Kraken's licence — the first MiCA authorisation granted by the Central Bank of Ireland — and the firm has advised four of Ireland's first ten authorised crypto firms. He is recognised in the Legal 500 for fintech.
Practice fields
Credentials
- Partner, Financial Institutions Group, Matheson LLP (Dublin)
- Admitted in Ireland, 2016
- Lead partner on Kraken's MiCA authorisation — first granted by the Central Bank of Ireland
- Legal 500 — Fintech recognition
Jurisdictions
Sources
Every entry on this page is sourced from public records. The references below are the evidence base for the practitioner's expertise claims.
Relevant guides
Knowledge-base coverage that overlaps with Ian's practice (Ireland · MiCA CASP, Crypto custody, Token classification, Stablecoin issuance, Crypto AML).
Crypto custody · Segregation rules
Crypto Custody Segregation Rules — MiCA Practitioner Guide
MiCA Article 75 sets the rules for CASP custody of client crypto-assets: custody agreement, register of positions, custody policy, segregati…
CASP conduct and marketing · MiCA rules
MiCA Conduct and Marketing Rules for CASPs: The Full Cluster
How MiCA governs CASP conduct: fair, clear, not misleading information and marketing (Article 66), Title II marketing (Article 7), conflicts…
MiCA · CASP operations & lifecycle
CASP Operations and Lifecycle 2026 — MiCA Passport, Banking, Wind-Down
The CASP passport under MiCA Article 65 went operational in late 2024 — but a working passport is one part of running an authorised CASP. Th…
MiCA scope edges · DeFi · staking · DLT Pilot · Article 60 · reverse solicitation · MiFID II line
The Edges of MiCA Scope 2026 — DeFi, Staking, DLT Pilot, Article 60, Reverse Solicitation
Where MiCA's perimeter actually sits — the DeFi carve-out, staking and lending, the DLT Pilot Regime boundary, the Article 60 bank track, re…
Qualifying holdings · CASP acquisitions
Qualifying Holdings Acquisitions 2026 — MiCA CASP Guide
MiCA Articles 83 and 84 govern notification and assessment of any acquisition of a qualifying holding in a CASP, and of increases past 20%, …
EU jurisdictional comparison
Best EU Jurisdiction for MiCA CASP in 2026: A Practical Comparison
Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Malta, Ireland — six EU member states actively process MiCA CASP files in 2026, and they differ …