For FinTech companies, strategy on products, services, customer acquisition and regulation is a critical element of planning. Fasken pairs deep knowledge of financial services regulation with a long history advising emerging technology companies, helping innovators navigate regulation, manage risk, and raise capital at every stage.
FinTech at the Intersection of Finance, Technology, and Capital
For FinTech companies, regulation shapes the business earlier than it does for most. Decisions about products, services, and customer acquisition often must account for licensing, consumer protection, and privacy obligations while the company is still finding its footing. At the same time, founders are raising capital and building toward an exit, so regulatory and financing questions arrive together rather than in sequence.
Fasken brings both sides to the table. Our knowledge of financial services regulation comes from advising the sector's major players, and our long history with emerging technology companies means we understand the pace, pressures, and financing needs of a growing FinTech. We help innovators navigate an evolving framework, meet emerging expectations, and fund their growth with confidence.
What You Can Expect
- Regulatory and financing strategy set early, before decisions become hard to reverse
- Practical guidance on licensing, consumer protection, AML, privacy, and electronic commerce
- Support for capital raising from early financings through to exit
- Deep familiarity with both financial regulators and the realities of scaling technology
Who We Serve
Early-Stage FinTech Founders — Innovators making product and regulatory decisions before launch, where early choices shape what is possible later.
Growth-Stage FinTech Companies — Businesses scaling products, entering new markets, and raising successive rounds of capital.
Crypto, Blockchain, and Digital Asset Ventures — Companies building crypto-asset trading platforms, blockchain projects, and related products and services.
Online Distribution and Marketplace Platforms — Businesses selling securities, insurance, or credit online, and running crowdfunding or fundraising models.
Investors and Lenders — Institutional and venture investors and lenders financing FinTechs through equity, convertibles, and venture debt.
Types of Matters We Handle
- Financial Regulatory Compliance: Licensing, consumer protection, AML, credit reporting, privacy, anti-spam, advertising, and electronic commerce.
- Online Distribution and Digital Products: Sale and marketing of securities online, distribution of insurance online, fundraising, and equity crowdfunding.
- Equity and Convertible Financings: Capital raising across all stages, through equity and convertible instrument issuances, up to exit.
- Venture Debt Financing: Venture debt, including monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and innovation tax credit (SR&ED) financings, with institutional and venture lenders.
- Regulatory Strategy and Risk: Structuring products and operations to meet emerging regulatory expectations and manage regulatory risk.
Why Clients Choose Fasken
FinTech companies choose Fasken because we bring together two things they rarely find in one place: deep financial services regulatory knowledge and a genuine understanding of emerging technology companies. We gained the first advising the major players in financial services, and the second through a long history with founders and investors in the technology sector.
That combination lets us give practical advice at the moments that matter, whether a client is setting product strategy, meeting a new regulatory expectation, or closing a financing.
What Success Looks Like
Early Regulatory Strategy: Advised a FinTech founder on licensing and consumer protection requirements that shaped product design before launch.
Crypto Platform Structuring: Helped a crypto-asset trading platform structure its operations and products within the evolving regulatory framework.
Online Distribution Launch: Supported a company distributing insurance or securities online, addressing the applicable regulatory requirements.
Equity Financing: Acted for a FinTech company on an equity or convertible instrument financing to fund its next stage of growth.
Venture Debt Financing: Advised on a venture debt financing, including MRR and SR&ED-based facilities, with institutional and venture lenders.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: When should a FinTech company get regulatory advice?
A: Earlier than most founders expect. Regulatory decisions often shape products, services, and customer acquisition before launch, so early input helps avoid restructuring later.
Q: Can Fasken help with both regulation and raising capital?
A: Yes. We advise on financial regulatory compliance and on financings from early rounds through to exit, including equity, convertibles, and venture debt.
Q: Do you advise crypto and blockchain businesses?
A: Yes. We work with crypto-asset trading platforms, blockchain projects, and related products, structuring operations within an evolving framework.
Q: What does venture debt financing involve for a FinTech?
A: It can include MRR and innovation tax credit (SR&ED) financings with institutional and venture lenders, offering growth capital alongside equity.
Your Team at Fasken
You work with a team that combines financial services regulatory depth with real experience advising emerging technology companies and their investors. Clients value the ability to move between regulatory strategy and capital raising in a single relationship, where early decisions directly shape long-term growth.
