Usman M. Sheikh

Usman Sheikh is Chair of the Blockchain, AI & Fintech Practice (Canada). He is a Partner in Baker McKenzie's Toronto office, a member of the Firm's Transactional Practice Group and is also a member of the Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group. He leads the Firm's blockchain team (consisting of over 150 lawyers) globally, and co-leads the Firm's artificial intelligence (AI) team in North America. A highly regarded thought leader on emerging technology, Usman is often called upon globally by heads of governments, as well as key regulatory and governmental bodies, to provide insight and strategic input on legal and regulatory developments relating to emerging technologies, including FinTech, blockchain technology / digital assets, artificial intelligence (AI), Web2/Web3, quantum computing and the internet of things (IoT).

Usman was named as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers" by Canadian Lawyer (2018) and he is the only lawyer in Canada to be ranked Band 1 for FinTech by Chambers for five consecutive years (2020 - 2024). He was also recognized in Toronto Life's The Influentials 2021 list, an annual feature that highlights Toronto's most influential people over the last 12 months.

Author of over 25 legal and academic publications, Usman is set to publish The Law of Blockchain Technology (Thomson Carswell) in 2025.

As a global thought leader on emerging technology and digital transformation, Usman has addressed the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). He has also co-lectured with the heads of blockchain for Nasdaq and the TMX, and has also presented to the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) (then, IIROC and the MFDA), the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA), and several other regulatory and industry organizations on a range of topics including AI regulatory / legal developments, AI governance frameworks, decentralized finance (DeFi), crypto custody, digital wallets, NFTs, crypto exchanges (crypto asset trading platforms), the metaverse and more. Since 2019, Usman has also been serving as an Adjunct Professor with the University of Toronto (Faculty of Law), teaching a course entitled "Blockchain, Digital Assets, and the Law."