Ying Yi Liew

Ying Yi advises the wide gamut of financial institutions (including banks, fund managers, brokers, financial advisers, insurers, market operators, commodity traders) and fintech companies, such as e-commerce platforms, robo-advisers, crowdfunding platforms, blockchain companies and payment solutions providers on evolving financial regulations.

She regularly advises clients with their regulatory and compliance matters across the board from the setting up of operations in Singapore, structuring their operations around licensing requirements, applying for and securing licenses, approvals, notifications and/or exemptions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to assisting them with putting in place their compliance framework (including on AML, technology risk management and business continuity), customer facing documentation and contractual agreements with third parties, as well as advising on ongoing conduct of business requirements and regulatory issues relating to misconduct and investigations.

• Advised Shareable Assets Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-based fintech company with experience from the Blue Whale Global group, on obtaining its capital markets services (CMS) license from the MAS, which allowed it to launch one of the first platforms to offer fractional ownership in real estate investments, by issuing asset-backed security tokens utilizing blockchain technology.
• Advised Goldbell Evolution Network (GEN) Pte Ltd, a member of the Goldbell Group, on obtaining its CMS license from the MAS, which allowed them to launch their private debt investment platform, GEN, an innovative platform which will provide for both investors and companies to seek alternative investment and obtain debt financing, respectively, and continues to advise on its compliance matters.
• Advised Asia Wealth Platform (operating under the name "StashAway"), one of the first robo-advisers to obtain a license from the MAS. StashAway is digital wealth management platform providing personalized and automated portfolio management services to both retail and accredited investors.
• Advised and assisted a blockchain firm on regulatory submissions to the MAS relating to their blockchain platform, which has automated Delivery versus Payment (DvP) capabilities for the settlement of tokenized assets which will simplify post-trade processes and short settlement cycles.
• Advised a leading international provider of online payment solutions, utilizing proprietary technology to handle its payment process on the rollout of new products in Singapore, including transitioning its remittance license to major payments institution (MPI) license under the Payment Services Act (PSA) and assisted with the variation of its MPI.
• Advised various companies involved in cryptocurrency, including commodity traders trading in cryptocurrencies, cryptocurrency derivatives exchanges setting up in Singapore as well as digital token companies generally seeking to list their tokens on Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchanges. This includes advising on structuring and fundraising (through ICOs, STOs and IEOs) and setting up in Singapore, reviewing token sales agreements and terms and conditions in relation to sale of tokens in addition to regulatory issues, including under evolving payments legislation.
• Advised global banks as well as multinational companies on cash pooling arrangements, including cross-border rollout of customer-facing documentation to offer various cash management products.
• Advised robo-advisers on obtaining a financial adviser's license and obtaining an exemption from the MAS from holding a CMS license, and on transitioning from a financial adviser's license to a fund management license.
• Advised various multinational banks on cross-border regulatory surveys, acting as primary and coordinating counsel to instruct local counsel and coordinate advice across up to 17 jurisdictions to ensure that the client has a holistic and coherent solution, taking into account the advice of local counsels from various jurisdictions, as well as to ensure that such advice is updated on an ongoing basis.
• Advised and assisted several multinational banks on their internal investigations into potential misconduct of their traders, including AML offenses, insider trading and other market misconduct offenses. 

• Member, Singapore Academy of Law
• Member, Law Society of Singapore