Practitioners highlighted for a distinctive sub-specialty edge in this field — beyond the directory criteria.
European Commission · European Union
Editor's note. European Commission MiCA/DORA architect steering the 2026 MiCA effectiveness review. The most direct policy signal on where the EU crypto framework heads after the first implementation cycle.
Peter Kerstens is the European Commission's adviser on financial-sector technological innovation and cybersecurity, and is widely credited as the architect of MiCA and DORA. He co-chaired the Commission's FinTech Taskforce and led the Digital Finance Strategy that produced Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. Earlier he served as Finance Counsellor at the EU Embassy in Washington DC. As of 2026 he is steering the Commission's MiCA effectiveness review — the public consultation that runs to 31 August 2026 — and has argued the EU should prioritise tokenisation over a rushed MiCA 2.0. For operators reading where the framework goes next, Kerstens is the single most direct signal.
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European Banking Authority (EBA) · European Union
Editor's note. EBA Chair coordinating EU significant CASP supervision (MiCA Article 85), ART/EMT issuer framework, and AMLA development. Critical EU regulator voice on crypto-asset firm coordination.
José Manuel Campa is Chair of the European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU-level regulator responsible for ART and EMT issuer supervision coordination, significant CASP framework under MiCA Article 85, and the broader EU AML framework including the new AMLA. Campa took the EBA Chair role in March 2019. His EBA tenure spans the full MiCA legislative development and implementation phase plus the AMLR/AMLA framework development. The EBA's central role in EU crypto-asset framework operationalisation makes Campa one of the most influential EU regulator voices on crypto-asset firm supervision.
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Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) · Germany, European Union
Editor's note. BaFin President with FINMA CEO heritage. Combined Swiss-German regulator-side perspective on crypto-asset firm supervision — most-respected EU supervisor positioning.
Mark Branson is President of BaFin (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht), the German financial regulator with one of the most rigorous EU supervisor approaches to crypto-asset firms. Branson took the BaFin Presidency in August 2021 after serving as CEO of FINMA (Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) from 2014 to 2021. His combined Swiss-German regulator experience covers crypto-bank licensing development (SEBA, Sygnum under FINMA) and MiCA implementation in Germany (KMAG framework). The combination makes him one of the most consequential EU regulator voices on crypto-asset firm supervision.
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European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) · European Union
Editor's note. ESMA Chair leading EU-level crypto-asset market integrity supervision. Most influential regulator voice on MiCA significant CASP framework (Articles 92-94) and ESMA direct supervisory powers.
Verena Ross is Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU-level supervisor responsible for crypto-asset market integrity, MiCA coordination, and direct supervision of significant CASPs under MiCA Articles 92-94. Ross took the Chair role in November 2021 after extensive prior ESMA service including Executive Director. Her ESMA tenure spans the full MiCA legislative development, implementation, and operationalisation phase — making her one of the most influential EU regulator voices on crypto-asset framework development.
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Circle Internet Financial · United States, European Union
Editor's note. Regulator-to-industry transition from CFTC Chair to Circle CLO. Bridges institutional US derivatives regulation insight with stablecoin issuer compliance positioning.
Heath Tarbert is Chief Legal Officer of Circle Internet Financial — the issuer of USDC, one of the largest USD-pegged stablecoins globally. Before joining Circle in 2021, Tarbert served as Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2019 to 2021, where he oversaw US derivatives regulation during a period of substantial crypto-asset framework development. His move from CFTC Chair to Circle is one of the highest-profile regulator-to-industry transitions in US crypto policy and gives Circle institutional regulator-side insight that has shaped USDC's compliance positioning under MiCA, the GENIUS Act, and global stablecoin frameworks.
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ISOLAS LLP · Gibraltar, United Kingdom
Editor's note. Architect of the world's first dedicated DLT regulatory framework (Gibraltar 2018). Chambers FinTech Band 1 ranked counsel for Gibraltar.
Joey Garcia is Partner at ISOLAS LLP in Gibraltar — one of Gibraltar's oldest and most prominent law firms and the principal counsel on the development of the Gibraltar Distributed Ledger Technology regulatory framework. Garcia was one of the architects of the world's first dedicated DLT regulatory framework launched by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission in January 2018. His practice covers DLT licence applications, crypto-asset fund formation, blockchain technology law, and the broader Gibraltar fintech regulatory landscape.
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Circle Internet Financial · European Union, Germany
Editor's note. Most-visible Circle EU regulatory voice through MiCA implementation. Public commentary widely-cited on Title IV EMT pathway specifics.
Patrick Hansen is Director of Crypto Policy and Strategy at Circle Internet Financial, focused on the European Union regulatory framework for stablecoins and crypto-asset services. Hansen has been one of the most visible Circle-side voices on MiCA framework implementation, EMT issuer authorisation, and the broader EU crypto regulatory landscape through the 2023-2026 period. His public Twitter/X commentary, conference appearances, and policy analyses have been widely-cited industry references on EU crypto policy development.
Full profile → Editor's note. Leads the firm's El Salvador division — uniquely positioned in the world's first Bitcoin-legal-tender jurisdiction with EU back-office support.
Felix Canizales is Associate Partner, Consultant and LATAM Business Development Manager at Gofaizen & Sherle. He leads the firm's El Salvador division and has been instrumental in shaping the El Salvadorian fintech landscape — combining fintech-law expertise with regulatory-compliance and business-consulting depth.
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Manimama · Estonia, Lithuania, European Union, Ukraine
Editor's note. Founder of CLPAI #2-ranked firm Manimama. Author of Ukraine's virtual-asset law and former General Counsel at KUNA — distinctive regulator-side + private-practice combination.
Ganna Voievodina is CEO and Founding Partner of Manimama, the international fintech law firm headquartered in Tallinn (Manimama OÜ) with offices in Lithuania. She has 16 years of legal experience and has been a licensed attorney in Ukraine since 2012. Before founding Manimama, Ganna served six years as Chief Legal Officer of the cryptocurrency exchange KUNA. She is the author of Ukraine's Law "About Virtual Assets" and is pursuing a PhD in international law.
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Gofaizen & Sherle · Estonia, Lithuania, European Union, United Arab Emirates, El Salvador
Editor's note. Co-founder and senior partner of the CLPAI #1-ranked firm. Mark's positioning across MiCA, UAE VARA, and El Salvador markets is distinctive among EU crypto-licensing practitioners.
Mark Gofaizen is the Senior Partner and Head of Consulting at Gofaizen & Sherle, the international legal and business advisory firm specialising in fintech, blockchain, crypto-asset licensing, and global corporate structuring. With more than a decade of hands-on experience, Mark has established the firm's positioning across MiCA, UAE VARA, and Latin American crypto-licensing markets. Gofaizen & Sherle ranks #1 in the 2026 CLPAI Index.
Full profile → Editor's note. Head of Legal & Compliance at the CLPAI #1-ranked firm. Mihhail's track record on 300+ financial-licence files makes him one of the highest-throughput EU crypto-licensing practitioners.
Mihhail Sherle is Senior Partner and Head of Legal & Compliance at Gofaizen & Sherle. With 13 years of legal experience including seven years specialising in FinTech and AML/CTF compliance, he has led the firm's team on more than 300 successful financial-licence projects — including CASPs, investment fund managers, and EMIs across the EU.
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Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados · Portugal, European Union
Editor's note. Portugal's most consistently cited crypto-asset regulation author — the GLI Blockchain & Cryptocurrency chapter for Portugal each year carries his name.
Filipe Vaz Pinto is a Partner at Morais Leitão, Galvão Teles, Soares da Silva & Associados (MLGTS) in Lisbon, co-head of the firm's dispute resolution team and a member of the board. He joined MLGTS in 2002 and became partner in 2014. He is the recognised Portugal author for crypto-asset regulation in Global Legal Insights and Chambers — covering MiCA implementation under Law 27/2024, the Banco de Portugal pre-MiCA register transition, and the CMVM's supervisory framework.
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Gide Loyrette Nouel · France, European Union
Editor's note. Ex-AMF Fintech Division founder — the rare French crypto practitioner with deep regulator-side experience plus an active private practice. Distinctive credibility under Hard Rule #24.
Franck Guiader is Head of Practice for Innovation, Digital Finance, Fintech, AI and Web3 at Gide Loyrette Nouel in Paris. Between 2011 and 2018 he was Director of the Asset Management Regulation Division at the French AMF and subsequently established and headed its Fintech, Innovation and Competitiveness division. He is one of the key architects of the Paris financial market's digital-assets framework and a leading voice on MiCA implementation in France.
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Arendt & Medernach · Luxembourg, European Union
Editor's note. Mouton led Arendt's team on the first Coinbase MiCA CASP authorisation from the Luxembourg CSSF — the highest-profile MiCA file in the EU.
Marc Mouton is a Partner in the Banking & Financial Services practice at Arendt & Medernach in Luxembourg. He advises banks, investment firms, payment institutions and electronic money institutions on financial regulatory matters, M&A in the financial sector, and emerging fintech sectors. Arendt, jointly with Latham & Watkins, advised Coinbase on its successful CASP licence application under MiCA from the Luxembourg CSSF.
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A&O Shearman · Spain, European Union
Editor's note. One of Spain's go-to fintech-regulation partners — advised on early Spanish blockchain capital-markets issuances and ranks Band 1 in Chambers Spain Fintech.
Salvador Norberto Ruiz Bachs is a Partner at A&O Shearman in Madrid and one of Spain's recognised fintech and digital-finance practitioners. He is an expert in debt capital markets, derivatives, structured finance, and financial regulation, and has advised on some of the first blockchain capital-markets issuances and ongoing crypto-currency business under the CNMV's MiCA regime.
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CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP · United Kingdom, European Union
Editor's note. Chambers-ranked FinTech partner who also writes a recurring cryptoasset column for Practical Law — a deeper public-record footprint than most MiCA CASP practitioners.
Charles Kerrigan is a Partner in CMS's Corporate Finance team in London and a member of the firm's crypto and digital-assets practice. He writes a regular cryptoasset column for Practical Law (Thomson Reuters) and is ranked by Chambers in FinTech. His MiCA CASP work spans authorisation strategy, governance build-out, and token classification at the MiCA/MiFID boundary.
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Linklaters LLP · Germany, European Union
Editor's note. Lead author of one of the clearest published analyses of the MiCAR / EMD2 / PSD2 interplay for stablecoin issuers — exactly the rule-set the EMT vs ART regime forces issuers to scope first.
Marius Raetz is Counsel in Linklaters' Financial Regulation Group in Frankfurt. His public work focuses on the interplay between MiCA, EMD2, and PSD2 — including a detailed analysis of the EBA's EMT no-action approach to dual MiCA / payment-services authorisation for stablecoin issuers.
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CMS von Erlach Partners AG · Switzerland, European Union
Editor's note. Co-Head of CMS's global Crypto / Digital Assets / FinTech focus group — one of the few practitioners with documented authority across both the Swiss DLT framework and MiCA implementation.
Tina Balzli is a Partner and Head of Fintech & Blockchain at CMS Switzerland in Zurich, and Co-Head of the CMS Crypto, Digital Assets and FinTech International Focus Group. She advises crypto-asset firms on the Swiss DLT Act, FINMA fintech and banking licensing, and the MiCA interface for firms with cross-EU footprint.
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SBSB Fintech Lawyers · Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, El Salvador
Editor's note. Managing Partner of a multi-jurisdictional firm with documented offices and crypto-licensing practice across nine countries — one of the few practitioners running named, cross-border crypto advisory at this geographic scale.
Yuliya Barabash is Managing Partner of SBSB Fintech Lawyers, a firm she has led since 2013. SBSB has offices across Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Costa Rica, Italy, Mauritius, and El Salvador, with a practice focused on crypto licensing, AML/CFT compliance, and cross-border fintech advisory.
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