Regulatory Reforms for Payment Services and One-Stop Financial Services Brokerage

Chika Igarashi is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi specializing in the fields of (i) Banking and Financial Regulations. Chika also has extensive experience in advising a wide range of corporations on (ii) the countermeasures for AML/CFT (anti-money laundering/countering financing of terrorism) and foreign economic sanctions, including OFAC regulations; (iii) data privacy; (iv) global compliance and governance, including the establishment and implementation of whistleblowing and internal control systems; and (v) dispute resolution and crisis management involving cross-border aspects for corporate clients. She also advises corporations doing business in (vi) Africa and the Middle East.

After earning his LL.M. at Vanderbilt University Law School in the U.S., he worked as a secondee at a NY office of a leading Japanese bank and the Tokyo office of an international investment bank. Upon returning to N&A, he developed an extensive track record in a broad range of finance matters, including financial regulations, capital markets (especially REIT), ship finance, M&A in the financial sector, compliance, and communication with financial authorities. He is one of the main members of our FinTech practice team and has extensive experience with respect to FinTech-related matters, and has advised a wide variety of clients, ranging from traditional financial institutions to start-ups. He also has particular expertise in regard to the payment space. In addition, he advises clients on financial regulations in M&A transactions involving financial institutions, and has experience in a broad range of cross-border matters, including inbound and outbound transactions.

Akihiro Shiba represents a wide range of clients, including numerous financial institutions and FinTech firms, within and outside Japan, in connection with licensing, compliance and other regulatory matters (such as those related to banking, securities, derivatives, and payments regulations, FDI restrictions, and AML/CFT/CPF requirements), and domestic and cross-border financial transactions (including those related to structured finance and asset management). Since 2014, his practice has focused on various FinTech matters, including those involving various digital tokens (such as cryptocurrencies, securities tokens, stablecoins, and NFTs), online platform-based financial transactions (like social lending and other crowdfunding), and online remittance and payment services (such as mobile payments). He has written numerous books and articles, and given many seminars and lectures, on subjects relevant to his practice areas.