ADVISORY
Advisory for the full regulatory lifecycle.
Aethemis advises digital asset and fintech businesses across regulatory strategy, compliance, investigations, and litigation. Each engagement is led by practitioners who have worked inside the institutions and frameworks our clients are navigating.
01 — Crypto regulatory counsel
Crypto regulatory counsel
Aethemis provides legal and regulatory counsel to digital asset businesses navigating a rapidly changing enforcement and compliance environment. Our attorneys are former in-house counsel with direct experience building and running legal functions inside the companies our clients are now operating. We advise on regulatory positioning, product structure, licensing strategy, and enforcement risk across the U.S., EU, UK, and APAC.
Crypto regulatory lawyer
Strategic legal counsel on regulatory positioning, product launches, and enforcement response for exchanges, custodians, and digital asset platforms.
Digital asset lawyer
Legal structuring, token analysis, and ongoing advisory for businesses operating at the intersection of digital assets and regulated financial markets.
Crypto regulatory advisor
Advisory-led engagements on regulatory strategy, licensing sequencing, and regulator engagement for businesses that need strategic guidance rather than formal legal opinions.
Blockchain lawyer
Legal analysis of on-chain structures, smart contract risk, and protocol governance in the context of applicable regulatory frameworks.
Fintech lawyer
Regulatory counsel for payments businesses, neobanks, and fintech platforms navigating licensing, product compliance, and market entry obligations.
02 — Digital asset regulatory advisory
Digital asset regulatory advisory
Digital asset regulation is not uniform across jurisdictions, and it is not static within them. Aethemis advises businesses on how to structure their operations, products, and compliance programs to meet current requirements while remaining responsive to regulatory change. Our advisory draws on direct experience inside exchanges, platforms, and regulatory bodies across global markets.
Digital asset regulation
Regulatory analysis and strategic guidance on how current and emerging frameworks apply to digital asset businesses, products, and structures across key jurisdictions.
Digital asset compliance
Program design, gap analysis, and ongoing advisory for exchanges, custodians, issuers, and platforms with compliance obligations across multiple frameworks.
Digital asset regulatory strategy
Strategic positioning and regulatory engagement planning for businesses entering new markets or responding to evolving oversight of digital asset activities.
03 — Stablecoin and token advisory
Token advisory
Token issuance sits at the centre of the current regulatory agenda across every major jurisdiction. Aethemis advises issuers on legal structure, reserve and custody requirements, disclosure obligations, and cross-border regulatory positioning. We work across the full lifecycle, from pre-issuance structuring through to ongoing compliance and regulatory engagement.
Stablecoin regulatory advisor
Regulatory strategy and legal structuring for stablecoin issuers operating across U.S., EU (MiCA), UK, and APAC frameworks.
Stablecoin legal advisor
Legal counsel on stablecoin issuance, reserve requirements, disclosure obligations, and regulatory classification across applicable jurisdictions.
Stablecoin compliance
Reserve management, disclosure, and ongoing compliance program design for payment stablecoin and algorithmic token issuers.
Token issuance legal structuring
Legal analysis and structuring for token issuances, including securities classification, exemption strategy, and cross-border distribution considerations.
Security token offering legal
Legal counsel for STO structuring, offering documentation, investor eligibility, and secondary market considerations across applicable jurisdictions.
04 — Cross-border compliance
Cross-border compliance
Most digital asset businesses operate across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously. Licensing obligations, AML requirements, product restrictions, and enforcement risk interact differently depending on how a business is structured and where it operates. Aethemis provides integrated cross-border advisory rather than jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction analysis, giving clients a single coherent view of their obligations and exposure.
Cross-border crypto compliance
Regulatory compliance advisory for digital asset businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, with coordinated analysis of how obligations and restrictions interact.
Multi-jurisdiction regulatory strategy
Coordinated regulatory strategy across U.S., EU, UK, and APAC markets, accounting for how licensing structures, compliance programs, and enforcement risk align across frameworks.
Global fintech compliance
Cross-border compliance program design and ongoing advisory for fintech businesses operating under multiple regulatory frameworks simultaneously.
Cross-border licensing crypto
Licensing strategy and regulator engagement across multiple jurisdictions, including entity structure, timing, and sequencing decisions.
Global VASP licensing
VASP registration and licensing across Hong Kong, Singapore, the EU, UK, and U.S. federal and state frameworks, coordinated as a single programme rather than separate engagements.
05 — Fintech regulatory strategy
Fintech regulatory strategy
Fintech businesses face regulatory requirements across payments, lending, custody, and money transmission that vary significantly by jurisdiction and continue to evolve. Aethemis advises on regulatory strategy and compliance program design for fintech platforms at every stage, from pre-launch structuring through to licensing, market expansion, and ongoing regulatory engagement.
Fintech regulatory advisor
Strategic advisory on regulatory positioning, licensing sequencing, and regulator engagement for fintech businesses entering or expanding in regulated markets.
Fintech compliance advisor
Compliance program design, policy development, and ongoing advisory for fintech platforms with obligations across payments, AML, and consumer protection frameworks.
06 — DeFi protocols
DeFi protocols
Decentralised finance sits at the edge of current regulatory frameworks, but it is not outside them. Regulators across the U.S., EU, and APAC are developing enforcement positions and disclosure requirements that increasingly reach DeFi protocols, DAOs, and infrastructure providers. Aethemis advises protocol teams, foundations, and investors on how to assess and manage regulatory exposure as those frameworks take shape.
DeFi compliance
Regulatory risk assessment, compliance framework design, and ongoing advisory for DeFi protocols, DAOs, and associated infrastructure providers.
DeFi legal advisor
Legal analysis of protocol design, governance structures, and token economics in the context of applicable securities, AML, and financial services regulations.
DeFi regulatory strategy
Strategic positioning for DeFi businesses engaging with regulators, responding to enforcement inquiries, or preparing for anticipated regulatory change.
07 — Government and regulatory bodies
Government and regulatory bodies
Aethemis works with government agencies, regulatory bodies, and public institutions that require specialist expertise in digital assets, blockchain technology, and financial crime. We provide regulatory consulting, expert witness support, and analytical capability for federal matters involving cryptocurrency, on-chain activity, and digital asset markets.
Regulatory consulting for government agencies
Technical and regulatory expertise for government agencies developing policy, conducting investigations, or overseeing digital asset market participants.
Expert witness support
Expert witness and litigation support in federal matters involving cryptocurrency, blockchain forensics, and digital asset financial crime.
08 — Global VASP licensing
Global VASP licensing
VASP licensing requirements vary significantly across jurisdictions and continue to evolve as regulators implement FATF recommendations and domestic frameworks. Aethemis advises businesses on licensing strategy, registration requirements, and ongoing compliance obligations for virtual asset service providers operating across Hong Kong, Singapore, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
VASP licensing requirements
Jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction analysis of VASP licensing requirements, including registration thresholds, compliance program standards, and ongoing reporting obligations.
VASP licensing Hong Kong
Advisory on VASP licensing under the AMLO regime administered by the SFC, including application preparation, compliance program requirements, and ongoing obligations.
VASP licence Singapore
Major Payment Institution licensing under the Payment Services Act, including MAS engagement, AML/CFT program design, and technology risk management requirements.
VASP regulation EU
CASP licensing under MiCA, including jurisdiction selection, passporting strategy, compliance program design, and regulator engagement across EU member states.
Global VASP licensing guide
Coordinated multi-jurisdiction licensing strategy, entity structuring, and regulatory sequencing for businesses seeking authorisation across multiple markets simultaneously.
09 — MiCA compliance
MiCA compliance
The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation is the most comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework currently in force. It introduces licensing requirements, disclosure obligations, and conduct standards that apply to crypto-asset service providers and issuers operating in or into the European Union. Aethemis advises U.S. and global businesses on what MiCA requires, how it interacts with existing structures, and what a compliant path to European market access looks like in practice.
MiCA compliance for US firms
Regulatory gap analysis and compliance pathway advisory for U.S.-domiciled businesses with EU customers or operations subject to MiCA requirements.
MiCA regulation explained
Practical guidance on MiCA's scope, timeline, and requirements, covering what it applies to, what it excludes, and what it means for business structure and licensing strategy.
CASP licensing EU
End-to-end advisory on CASP authorisation under MiCA, including jurisdiction selection, white paper requirements, and EU regulatory engagement strategy.
10 — Launching a compliant crypto exchange
Launching a compliant crypto exchange
Launching a cryptocurrency exchange involves licensing decisions, AML program design, technology controls, and regulatory engagement across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously. The decisions made at formation, particularly around entity structure and licensing sequencing, have consequences that are difficult to reverse. Aethemis advises exchanges from pre-launch through to live operations, drawing on direct experience building compliance functions inside major digital asset platforms.
How to launch a compliant crypto exchange
End-to-end advisory on licensing, AML/KYC program design, technology requirements, and regulatory engagement for new exchange launches across target jurisdictions.
Crypto exchange licensing
Licensing strategy, application management, and regulator engagement for cryptocurrency exchanges seeking authorisation in the U.S., EU, UK, and APAC.
Crypto exchange launch guide
Structured advisory covering entity formation, licensing sequencing, compliance build-out, and operational readiness for exchange operators.
11 — Stablecoin regulatory framework
Stablecoin regulatory framework
The regulatory framework for stablecoins is taking shape across the U.S., EU, and UK simultaneously, with meaningful differences in approach, scope, and timeline. Aethemis advises stablecoin issuers and platforms on how current and emerging frameworks apply to their structures, what the legal requirements for issuance are, and how to build compliance programs that hold up as the regulatory environment continues to develop.
Comparative stablecoin frameworks
Comparative analysis of stablecoin regulatory frameworks across the U.S., EU (MiCA), UK, and APAC, covering reserve requirements, licensing, and disclosure obligations.
Stablecoin regulation US
Advisory on U.S. federal and state stablecoin legislation, including reserve requirements, chartering considerations, and compliance obligations for payment stablecoin issuers.
Legal requirements for stablecoin issuance
Jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction analysis of licensing, reserve, disclosure, and operational requirements for stablecoin issuers across global markets.
