Pankki-, rahoitus- ja vakuutustoiminta

Banking, finance and insurance

We provide comprehensive legal advice to a diverse range of clients in the financial sector, including credit institutions, investment firms, insurance providers, and more. Our versatile legal services offer practical, creative and goal-orientated solutions.

Our customers

We provide comprehensive legal advice to a diverse range of clients in the financial sector, including credit institutions, payment and e-money institutions, investment firms, insurance providers and intermediaries, crowdfunding service providers, savings and loan associations, virtual currency service providers, and more.

For companies seeking financing or investment opportunities, we advise on raising capital through an IPO and trading shares on regulated (Nasdaq main market) and alternative market (Nasdaq First North).

We also offer tailored guidance to businesses operating in the crypto asset sector, from assessing their business model to drafting the necessary documentation to obtain authorisation as a virtual currency service provider. Our expertise also extends to advising non-financial sector businesses that are subject to financial regulations, such as traders, gambling operators, and real estate agents.

Our approach

We have a practical understanding of the expectations of the Financial Supervision Authority. Thanks to our team’s previous long-term experience in the banking and financial sector and efficient cooperation with the Financial Supervision Authority, we have a good understanding of the activities and business of entities in the financial sector. Therefore, we can offer our clients added value not only in strictly legal issues, but also in matters related to prudential requirements, reporting and business plans.

As certified advisors of Nasdaq First North, we can provide services to Nasdaq Baltic First North companies in all three Baltic countries. Our task is to guide companies through the application process and ensure that they consistently meet First North’s rules and requirements. First North’s certified advisors are financial and business consulting professionals who have undergone specific First North training. Find out more here.

We are client-focused and oriented towards finding business solutions. We thoroughly familiarise ourselves with our customers, their businesses and future plans in order to build long-term relationships that create added value. Through KPMG’s integrated network, we are able to offer a multidisciplinary and, where necessary, cross-border approach. Our experienced project managers help to manage processes through a single point of contact, reducing the resource and time consumption of all parties involved.

Neuvonta on laadukasta ja täsmällistä. Tiimi hahmottaa ja ratkaisee asiakkaan keskeiset ongelmat nopeasti.

The Legal 500

Tiimi on ammattitaitoinen ja omaa laajan toimialatuntemuksen.

The Legal 500

Tiimi tarjoaa kokonaisvaltaisia liiketoimintaratkaisuja.

The Legal 500

Ammattitaitoista, asianmukaistaja nopeaa apua juridisissa kysymyksissä.

The Legal 500

Our services and experience

We support our clients throughout the entire process of raising capital, from the initial consultation and overviews of legal and regulatory requirements to the preparation of relevant documentation.

We help our customers apply for an authorisation in the financial sector, offer assistance in extending an existing authorisation and carry out a legal analysis of their business model to determine whether authorisation is needed. We advise our customers based on their requests, starting with the preparation of the documents required for the application for authorisation and continuing throughout the entire application process.

We provide clients with comprehensive legal advice, from the legal analysis of their business model, drafting and reviewing documentation (contracts, internal procedures of the company) to negotiating with business partners.

General advice on banking and financial services

Drafting legal analyses and opinions in the field of banking and finance;
preparation of documentation in connection with applying for various authorisations from the Financial Supervision Authority;
carrying out internal legal and regulatory compliance checks in the field of banking and finance, e.g. anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, international sanctions.

Capital markets

Advising on the issuance and listing of bonds;
advising on initial public offerings (IPOs) and listing of shares (presentation of requirements, drafting of documentation), including initial consultation;
carrying out legal assessments (due diligence) in relation to IPO compliance checks;
providing advice regarding trading on regulated markets, multilateral trading facilities (MTFs) and organised trading facilities (OTFs);
advising on the authorisation procedure at the Financial Supervision Authority (e.g. investment firms, fund managers).

Crypto assets

Carrying out a legal analysis of business models and identifying the need for an authorisation;
advising on the establishment and authorisation requirements for crypto asset service providers (based on the MiCA proposal) and on the application for an authorisation as a virtual currency service provider (e.g. virtual currency wallet, exchange, transfer service and virtual currency issuance).

Project funding

Drafting, reviewing and negotiating various financing and security agreements, including in relation to syndicated financing, project finance, subordinated financing, structured financing, etc.

Investment funds

Advising on the establishment of an investment fund (e.g. a limited partnership fund) and on the registration/authorisation procedures of the fund manager at the Financial Supervision Authority (in the case of a manager of a small fund registered with the Financial Supervision Authority, also application for an authorisation from the Financial Intelligence Unit);
drafting and reviewing fund conditions and the partnership agreements of limited partnership funds;
drafting, reviewing and updating AML documentation and other internal procedures;
providing ongoing advice on the activities of investment funds to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements;
providing legal advice to foreign fund managers expanding their business across borders.

Insurance

Advising on the registration of an insurance broker or agent with the Financial Supervision Authority;
advising on the procedure for applying for an operating licence for insurance providers from the Financial Supervision Authority;
advising on the development of various non-life insurance products and sales processes;
advising on matters related to distribution channels and insurance intermediation;
drafting, reviewing and updating internal procedures, documents for clients or internal training materials;
providing ongoing legal advice on various legal issues relating to the activities of insurance brokers and agents and the activities of insurers in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Credit institutions and financial institutions

Advising on the establishment and authorisation of financial institutions, e.g. credit institutions, investment firms, fund managers, payment institutions, e-money institutions, insurance provider and intermediaries, consumer credit providers, crowdfunding service providers etc.;
advising on the fit and proper assessments of managers and owners of financial institutions, acquisition of a (significant) holding in a financial institution;
advising on the merger, division, transformation and dissolution of financial institutions;
drafting, reviewing or updating internal policies and procedures;
preparing outsourcing documents, including relevant contracts, risk analyses and management decisions;
drafting various documents for clients of financial institutions, e.g. product terms and conditions, loan agreements;
advising on regulatory inspections (on-/off-site) and similar investigations by supervisory authorities;
representing clients before supervisory authorities (Financial Supervision Authority, Financial Intelligence Unit).

What are the regulations we advise on?

We have knowledge of and experience related to Estonian laws and regulations applicable to the financial sector, including the Law of Obligations Act (LOA), the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), the Credit Institutions Act (CIA), the Securities Market Act (SMA), the Securities Register Maintenance Act (SRMA), the Payment Institutions and E-money Institutions Act (PIEMIA), the Creditors and Credit Intermediaries Act (CCIA), the Investment Funds Act (IFA) and the Insurance Activities Act (IAA), etc.

We also use relevant EU-level directives and regulations in our work, including the following:

EXPERTS