Financial Services & Fintech

BFKN has a long history of serving the financial services industry across many of our practice groups. We have decades of experience and have represented over 300 financial institutions in recent years (including more than a dozen credit unions), ranging from $100 million community institutions to multi-billion dollar publicly traded regional banks. Our firm’s focus on this industry begins with our Financial Institutions Group, a practice group made up of 30 dedicated attorneys focused on serving financial institutions in the Midwest and nationwide.

BFKN’s other practice groups collaborate with our Financial Institutions Group to serve clients in the financial services industry for all their legal needs, including:

Among our attorneys are former legal counsel to regulatory agencies and those who are nationally recognized in their field. Our relationships with the regulatory agencies, both federal and with many states, and with securities regulators, are excellent. We pride ourselves on the results we have helped our clients achieve within the regulatory process, through our thorough understanding of what is effective and our mutual respect that has been established over time.

Fintech

BFKN’s multidisciplinary Fintech Group (FIGx^®) advises clients at the intersection of banking, technology, and law. Combining many decades of experience representing financial institutions with deep knowledge of emerging technologies, our attorneys represent hundreds of credit unions, banks, payments companies, lenders, cryptocurrency companies, wealth managers, and other financial institutions. Marrying these unique skillsets, we help financial institutions navigate the obstacles to innovation.

We guide banks and credit unions seeking to:

• Partner with Fintechs.
• Launch new products or services.
• Offer Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).
• Invest in Banktech.
• Collaborate with regulators, clear regulatory hurdles, and obtain approvals.
• Obtain or divest lines of business.
• Manage vendor relationships.
• Defend against litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.

We also help Fintechs to:

• Build and implement compliance systems.
• Obtain licenses, charters, and secure regulatory approvals.
• Partner with credit unions and banks.
• Respond to government and regulatory inquiries.
• Launch new products.
• Acquire or merge with other entities.
• Defend against claims of wrongdoing and contractual breach.

Leveraging a combination of legal, regulatory, and in-house experience, our attorneys are highly credentialed, with deep experience and strong business acumen. As a result, we have a wealth of knowledge in crafting practical and creative solutions to difficult, unique, complex, and technology-focused issues for some of the world’s most innovative companies.

Industry Contacts