A seasoned and versatile lawyer, Leel Sinai focuses his practice on banking, financial services regulation, and FinTech, with an emphasis on emerging areas such as cryptocurrency and payment system innovations. With a practice spanning domestic and international financial markets, Leel also has comprehensive experience in in-house legal roles and regulatory consulting.

Leel serves as a trusted advisor to premier financial institutions and FinTech enterprises, delivering nuanced insights across multiple regulatory domains. He advises clients on a wide spectrum of regulatory frameworks, including federal and state banking, trust company oversight, money transmission, lending compliance, and anti-money laundering (AML) protocols. He provides strategic guidance on licensing processes, product development, partnership strategies, and comprehensive compliance approaches.

In addition to assisting clients in designing and implementing robust regulatory compliance and risk management frameworks, Leel supports complex regulatory diligence for significant corporate acquisitions and offerings.

Leel also has experience conducting thorough internal investigations and spearheading remediation efforts in response to examination findings, helping clients take a proactive, risk-minimization approach to regulatory challenges.

• Provided regulatory advice on new products and services offered by banks, payments companies, and crypto exchanges
• Conducted bank regulatory, money transmission, and AML diligence and provided regulatory advice on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and capital markets transactions
• Analyzed a foreign banking organization’s ability to engage in physically settled carbon credit derivatives transactions outside the United States under Regulation K
• Advised on bank regulatory issues related to control regulations applicable to bank M&A
• Analyzed bank regulatory requirements and prohibitions, such as those relating to inter-affiliate transactions, tying arrangements, and the Volcker Rule
• Provided bank regulatory advice on a bank’s development of a bank-issued, dollar-backed token
• Conducted Bank Company Holding Act of 1956 and Volcker Rule analysis of investments in investment fund partnerships and negotiated applicable side letter terms
• Reviewed commercial agreements and provided counsel on bank regulatory considerations and expectations applicable to banks regarding their investments in FinTech companies
• Drafted bank regulatory compliance policies and procedures
• Advised on regulatory affairs and applicable filings for state and federal regulatory approvals and licenses required to engage in money transmitter business activities and acquisitions
• Provided ongoing AML regulatory advice to various types of FinTech companies and financial institutions regarding the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Financial Action Task Force guidance, and state regulatory requirements
• Advised a technology company on AML, money transmission licensing, and consumer regulatory requirements related to its development of non-fungible token services and various payment-related services
• Advised crypto companies on consumer regulatory issues, including Regulation E and unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices

Education
Hofstra University School of Law, JD, 2013
Hofstra University, MBA, 2013
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, MA, 2009
State University of New York at Buffalo, BA, 2008

Admissions
New York
New Jersey