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banking & financial services regulatory
Schoenherr's banking & finance lawyers advise on all regulatory aspects in the banking & financial services industry.
"excellent know-how of all aspects of banking and finance law including regulatory matters"
Legal 500
Schoenherr's Banking and Financial Services Regulatory team is recognised as one of the most innovative and forward-looking practices in Austria and across Central Eastern Europe. We combine deep market insight, legal excellence and a pragmatic approach to help financial institutions, FinTechs and investors navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Whether adapting to new EU frameworks or anticipating the next wave of digital transformation, our clients trust us to turn regulation into opportunity.
Regional strength and on the ground expertise
With offices and expert teams across Central Eastern Europe, Schoenherr offers clients seamless regulatory advice wherever they do business. Our lawyers combine in-depth local knowledge with a regional perspective, enabling clients to anticipate and adapt to country-specific supervisory practices, market dynamics and cross-border challenges. From Vienna to Bucharest, from Warsaw to Sofia, we speak the regulatory language of every market in which we operate.
Full-spectrum coverage
We support clients across the entire lifecycle of their financial services business - from market entry and licensing to operational compliance, strategic transactions and enforcement proceedings. Our integrated regulatory and transactional expertise ensures seamless support for every regulatory challenge and opportunity.
Our services
Our dedicated cross-disciplinary and cross-office teams combine expertise in non-contentious as well as contentious regulatory matters, advising domestic and international credit institutions, investment firms, asset managers, payment firms, FinTechs, insurance companies as well as market infrastructure providers and trading platforms on all aspects of their business.
Non-contentious financial regulatory services
- FMA/ECB authorisation procedures
- branching and passporting solutions
- ongoing regulatory engagement and supervisory communications
- evaluating and licensing of new business models and platforms
- strategic partnerships, joint ventures and regulatory sandboxing
- market access and passporting
- MiCA readiness and EU rollout
- operational and prudential readiness
- assessment of MiCAR-business models and feasibility studies
- white paper review
- product classification and product structuring
- regulatory due diligence on financial sector targets
- change in control and approvals: multijurisdictional regulatory clearances, fit and proper assessments, conditions precedent management
- structuring and integration: carveouts, booking model and product migration, client communications, post-acquisition integration
- AI governance and compliance
- ICT risk and cyber resilience (DORA/NIS2 alignment)
- cross‑border data strategy and outsourcing
- incident response, playbooks and contingency planning
- product design, perimeter analysis and compliance under PSD2/PSD3/PSR
- cross border expansion, agent/distributor and cooperation models
- AML/KYC, strong customer authentication
- open banking strategies and APIs
- licensing of investment firms and trading venues under MiFID II
- conduct of business, suitability and product governance frameworks
- cross-product compliance across securities, payments and crypto-assets
- monitoring and implementation of EU frameworks (MiCA, PSD3/PSR, DORA, AML Package, CRR/CRD)
- impact assessments, regulatory horizon scanning and compliance transformation projects
- fund formation and structuring
- marketing, passporting and delegation
- AIFMD/UCITS compliance and regulatory engagement
- product structuring
- ISDA and trading documents
- netting/enforceability analyses and "top up" opinions
- synthetic and true sale transactions
- regulatory capital relief, risk retention and prudential recognition assessments
- STS qualification and prudential treatment assessments
- recovery plans and playbooks
- resolution readiness (MREL/TLAC strategies, separability and bail‑in mechanics)
- regulatory engagement with SRB and NRAs including remedial actions
- policy design and compliance: CRD/UCITS/AIFMD remuneration frameworks, malus/clawback, deferral, and instrument-based pay
- governance structures, accountability and management responsibility mapping
Contentious financial regulatory services
- regulatory perimeter, licensing and change-in-control analysis
- regulatory mapping and horizon scanning
- governance frameworks, policies and statements of responsibilities
- product structuring and distribution compliance
- outsourcing and operational resilience
- early case assessment and strategic options
- regulatory inquiries "triage" and strategic response coordination, including document collection, privilege and communications strategy
- internal investigations and root‑cause analysis
- regulatory interview and compelled testimony preparation
- cross‑border enforcement coordination to ensure consistent narratives and remedial actions
- representation in contentious regulatory proceedings and enforcement actions
- negotiation with authorities and settlements
- remediation and compliance enhancements
- representation in litigation involving financial products, collective redress and complex derivatives
- defence against investor claims and supervisory sanctions
news
publication
07 November 2025
K.Tupá M.Svoboda K.Hlavinková W.Kapica G.Pázsitka N.Ordody-Nagy V.Veres
to the point: financial regulation | 10/2025
Welcome to our to the point newsletter. Every month, we are looking back at the most relevant developments in the area of financial regulation in the CEE region.
press release
Poland: Schoenherr advises Puro on refinancing of its financial indebtedness
Schoenherr advised Puro on the refinancing of its existing financial indebtedness, provided by a consortium of lenders consisting of Santander Bank Polska and Bank Pekao.
newsletter
FDI news from Moldova: new secondary legislation
On 11 July 2025, Governmental Decision 437/2025 ("GD 437/2025") was published and entered into force. Through this piece of secondary legislation, the Moldovan Government has approved new rules governing the procedure for the prior examination and approval of investments of importance to state security. GD 437/2025 is intended to supplement the provisions of the recently updated FDI Law. But will this actually make things easier for existing and future investors?
"For banking M&A transactions, they have a high degree of regulatory sophistication."
Chambers
team
our team
Our banking & financial services regulatory team works on complex matters across CEE.