Gabriel Lakeman

Partner

London
gabriel.lakeman@lw.com
+44.20.7710.4645

PRACTICES

  • Digital Assets & Web3
  • Emerging Companies & Growth
  • Financial Regulatory
  • Payments

INDUSTRIES

  • Financial Institutions
  • Fintech
  • Technology

BAR QUALIFICATIONS

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

EDUCATION

  • Legal Practice Course, College of Law, London,
  • Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP Law School,
  • PhD, University College London,
  • Master of Philosophy, University College London,

PROFILE

Gabriel Lakeman advises clients at the intersection of financial services, technology, and regulation.

He draws on a deep understanding of the financial regulatory landscape to advise C-suite executives, senior leadership, and founders across the fintech ecosystem on:

  • Super-apps and innovative securities platforms, including MiFID II and AIFMD
  • Digital assets and Web3, including cryptoasset registration, VASP regimes, and MiCA
  • Payment services and systems, including PSD2/3
  • Financial services and Big Data, Big Tech, and AI

Gabriel collaborates with leading global financial services firms to develop new products and platforms, focusing on creating solutions to help clients structure their businesses and develop new services that comply with rapidly evolving global requirements. His clients include broker-dealers, investment and retail banks, technology startups, central banks, market infrastructure providers, investment managers, hedge funds, and private equity funds.

A recognized thought leader, Gabriel regularly presents on trends in fintech and Web3.

Prior to joining Latham & Watkins, he practiced in the London office of another global law firm. During that time, he completed secondments at two leading global investment banks.

EXPERIENCE

Gabriel’s recent experience includes advising:

Super-Apps and Innovative Securities Platforms

  • A market-leading fintech that provides payments, traditional financial instruments, and cryptoasset services on restructuring its group to comply with regulatory requirements
  • Goldman Sachs on building its first UK retail investment platform, Marcus Invest
  • A listed retail securities broker on structuring its global expansion and product offering to comply with regulatory requirements across EMEA, APAC and LATAM
  • Leading a global investment bank on its MiFID II implementation
  • A tech startup on structuring and launching a first-in-kind platform for company private capital-raising

Digital Assets and Web3

  • eToro on its regulatory strategy for provision of traditional financial instruments and cryptoassets
  • A leading cryptoasset exchange on development of new products and provision of services on a cross-border basis
  • The financial advisers to Coinbase Global on the cryptocurrency exchange platform’s US$43 billion direct listing on Nasdaq  
  • Multiple clients on the structuring and regulatory treatment of Web3 platforms and digital asset distribution including initial coin offering (ICO) transactions

Payment Services and Systems

  • The initial purchasers of a US$2.175 billion and £600 million notes offering supporting GTCR’s acquisition from FIS of a majority stake in Worldpay, a leading global provider of payment processing solutions, on regulatory aspects of the acquisition
  • The Central Bank of Egypt on the formulation of a new banking law and regulatory regime governing payment services and systems