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 operational rulebook for CASP custody of client crypto-assets — segregation, ledger accuracy, bankruptcy-remoteness…
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 marketing (Article 7, 74), influencer rules, conflicts (72), inducements (78), bes…
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's qualifying holdings framework governs notification and approval of any acquisition that brings a shareholder above 10%, 20%, 30%, or …
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…
EU TFR · Travel Rule · 2026 implementation
EU Travel Rule, AML, Sanctions & DAC8 — CASP Compliance 2026
The EU AML, Travel Rule, sanctions and tax-reporting stack for CASPs in one place — TFR member-state implementation, self-hosted wallets, FA…