Domestic and global banks, core investment companies and digital lenders are among the clients of the ‘exceptional’ team at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, with work including public and private M&A concerning regulated financial services companies, asset transfers, compliance, risk assessment and investigations. The practice is jointly led by fintech specialist Anu Tiwari, who is described as ‘top notch in the payments and bank regulatory space’; managing partner Cyril Shroff and L. Viswanathan, who is well placed to advise on the regulatory aspects of major energy projects. Ketaki Mehta specialises in venture capital and angel investments, while Jian Johnson has specific expertise pertaining to transactions involving transport infrastructure. Principal associate Utkarsh Bhatnagar is another name to note.

IndusLaw supports clients across a wide range of work including setting up business for fintech innovators, M&A concerning financial institutions, representations before the Indian exchange control regulators and regulatory compliance for virtual assets including cryptocurrencies and NFTs. A quartet of partners head up the practice: Avimukt Dar frequently assists private equity investors with strategic financial investment transactions; Suneeth Katarki is noted for his prowess in corporate restructuring mandates; TMT specialist Namita Viswanath is a leading choice for regulatory matters relating to data usage, storage and security; and Shreya Suri is well versed in payments infrastructure work. Principle associate Raghav Muthanna is singled out for his fintech expertise.

Praised for being ‘knowledgeable about the Indian market and cross-border deals’, Juris Corp pulls together a strong offering with expertise encompassing  the development and launch of new products, the implementation of payment services in India and issues related  to data protection and outsourcing. Ankit Sinha is a key contact at the firm and is particularly strong at handling transactions relating to asset-based lending. Saurabh Sharma has a proven track record of assisting foreign clients with their overseas direct investments. Jayesh H is noted for his work on leveraged buyouts and restructuring mandates. Counsel Aashka Shah guides clients including domestic and foreign banks and insurance companies through Indian and foreign legislation impacting OTC derivatives in India, while associate Akshay Kelkar is well versed in advisory matters relating to cross-border finance.

Transactional work in the fintech space and regulatory advisory services, including around payments issues are core pillars of AZB & Partners‘ fintech and digital practice. The team, praised for ‘understanding the entire life cycle of an issue’, has corporate expertise spanning capital raisings, joint ventures and big-ticket M&A. On the regulatory front, the team is active on mandates such as representations before Indian regulators and internal investigations. Ashwath Rau drives the team’s offering and has a strong track record in handling the regulatory aspects of major M&A involving financial institutions. G. Padmanabhan‘s expertise extends to payments work; he is frequently mandated by major players in the space to advise on the regulatory landscape in India. Vipul Jain is geared to handle entry strategy, licensing and compliance work for clients such as banks and offshore private equity firms.

Finsec Law Advisors‘ close ties to regulators allow the firm to ‘look at the regulatory environment for innovative products where current regulations don’t cover the product completely’. The team is also geared to advise major stock exchanges, intermediaries and listed companies on various regulatory matters such as business structuring, corporate governance and regulatory compliance. Practice co-head Sandeep Parekh ‘stands out for his blend of commercial and regulatory experience’. Fellow co-head Anil Choudhary has a proven track record of advising on capital markets transactions. Raghuvamsi Meka frequently represents clients before the Securities and Exchange Board of India.

Advising on payment aggregator regulations and prepaid payment instrument regulations stand out as recent areas of activity for JSA Law, whose team is also well placed to advise on alternative lending and payment platforms, blockchain enabled service offerings and a wide array of internet-related service offerings. The team is headed up by Probir Roy Chowdhury; the Bangalore-based lawyer is well placed to advise on outsourcing, payment structures and direct carrier billing systems. His colleague Yajas Setlur has a proven track record of advising on commercial transactions in the tech space.

Kochhar & Co.‘s broad fintech offering encompasses on NPCI issues, online digital payments and data and privacy issues. The unit is additionally well placed to advise on matters concerning blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Savitha Kesav Jagadeesan frequently assists start-ups to navigate issues associated with e-commerce and internet-related transactions. Stephen Mathias is a data privacy expert. Anuj Kaila‘s varied practice extends to advice on digital lending matters. Sharmil Bhushan, who joined in November 2022 from HSA Advocates, is well versed in debt restructuring mandates.

Saraf and Partners is a key destination for leading corporates, banks and industry players in need of regulatory compliance advice and assistance with their tech-based offerings. Founding partner Mohit Saraf leads the practice alongside Vaibhav Kakkar, who has deep experience of structuring transactions and product offerings for the clients in the fintech arena. Sahil Arora frequently assists payment institutions, online marketplaces and technology companies on the contractual structuring of new products. Keshav Pareek handles complex transactional and advisory work in the fintech space.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co is well positioned to advise major fintech platforms on product structuring, regulatory compliance and strategy. The firm also works with a wide range of  investors on issues connected with strategic investments in the fintech space. Shilpa Mankar Ahluwalia oversees matters from the firm’s Delhi office. She assists slew of household names, such as American Express, Whatsapp and Revolut with a host of fintech issues. Foreign direct investment in the fintech and payments space is a core part of Shubhangi Garg‘s practice. Ekta Gupta frequently leverages her corporate experience to advise on fintech mandates. Himanshu Malhotra has a proven track record in advising major multinationals on their product offerings.

Notably active on mandates concerning tech in banking, Spice Route Legal‘s broad practice encompasses expertise in payments, financial sector crimes, digital lending and anti-money laundering. The unit is also well placed to assist with regulatory investigations, and has seen an uptick in instructions relating to both global and Indian financial services investigations. Practice head Mathew Chacko ‘s regulatory expertise was recently showcased in a complex outsourcing matter for HDFC that aims to allow the lender to launch a digital-only banking service. Ankita Hariamani is an ‘unparalleled’ expert on financial services regulations and their interaction with technology, while Aadya Misra is a key contact for matters concerning data and privacy such as cybersecurity architecture or breach responses.

The ‘experts in the field’ at Trilegal are geared to handle a broad array of fintech and regulatory matters with the team notably strong in projects with a cross-border element. Areas of activity include digital lending, NPCI regulations and advisory and enforcement work in  contentious and non-contentious areas of the regulatory landscape. Rahul Matthan heads up the team and is an authority on digital public infrastructure and emerging technologies. Nikhil Narendran has a strong track record in payment regulations work for fintech and banking clients. Shruti Rajan’s practice extends to advising regulated entities and listed companies on regulatory risk identification. Jyotsna Jayaram further extends the payments expertise at the firm.

Alongside obtaining regulatory licenses from the RBI and SEBI, Nishith Desai Associates assists with transactions, compliance  and crypto-related disputes that help to shape India’s regulatory landscape.  Payment aggregators, banking partners and cross-border service facilitators are among the firm’s clients.  Tech expert Gowree Gokhale co-heads the practice and frequently assists international clients with regulatory advice, litigation and arbitration. Fellow co-head Huzefa Tavawalla leads the firm’s disruptive tech group and has a notable focus on matters in the digital payments space. Kishore Joshi completes the leadership team and is an authority on securities and exchange control laws. Aaron Kamath‘s regulatory experience includes making representations to the Indian Government on issues such as foreign direct investment conditions for the e-commerce sector.

Talwar Thakore & Associates is known in the market for advising financial institutions and fintech companies on payment systems, the clearing and settlement of securities and exchange traded derivatives. Practice head Rahul Gulati has worked extensively on mandates relating to the structuring of OTC derivatives in the Indian market. Deepa Christopher has specific expertise relating to data privacy and data collection matters. Neville Golwalla has longstanding experience of advising on court approved restructurings in the fintech arena. Ritika Singal is a further key contact at the firm.