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Ying Yi Liew - 600 x 600
Director

Ying Yi Liew

Languages
  • English
  • Malay

Ying Yi is a member of the firm’s Finance team and leads the Financial Services Regulatory practice at CMS Holborn Asia, the Formal Law Alliance between CMS Singapore and Singapore law practice, Holborn Law LLC.

Ying Yi specialises in advising a wide range of financial institutions, including banks, fund managers, brokers, financial advisers, insurers, market operators, and commodity traders, as well as 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, from setting up operations in Singapore and structuring businesses to meet licensing requirements, to applying for and securing licenses, approvals, notifications, and exemptions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). She also assists clients in developing their compliance framework (including on AML, technology risk management and business continuity), provides guidance on customer-facing documentation, third-party contractual agreements, ongoing compliance with conduct-of-business requirements, and regulatory issues related to misconduct and investigations.

A recognised leader in her field, Ying Yi is ranked by Chambers Fintech as Band 2 for Fintech Legal in Singapore, by Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner for Fintech and Financial Services Regulatory: Local Firms and by Chambers Asia Pacific as Up and Coming for Banking & Finance: Regulatory in Singapore. She has also been recognised as a Singapore Rising Star by Asia Legal Business in 2024. She was also selected as a Fintech65 Leader in 2024 which recognises 65 industry trailblazers who have demonstrated their work, vision, leadership and innovation in driving forward Singapore’s Fintech industry.   

Clients consistently praise her as an "outstanding lawyer" who is "in touch with market developments and goes the extra mile to understand client needs" (Legal 500 Asia Pacific). Chambers Asia Pacific notes her as "responsive and genuinely caring about her clients and their business goals. She is very well connected and tuned into the latest regulatory developments, especially in the fintech, digital payments, and blockchain space."
 

Relevant experience

  • DBS Bank, UBS AG and SBI Digital Asset Holdings Co., Ltd on the world’s first natively issued cross-border repo and digital bond fully executed and settled on a public blockchain that was part of the MAS’ Project Guardian. DBS, UBS and SBI successfully executed the live transaction for the issuance, repurchase and redemption of digitally native Swiss-law securities using stablecoins issued under Japanese law and tokenized deposits under Swiss law. The transactions were recorded on a public blockchain and featured atomic (instantaneous) settlements.
  • UBS AG on its first tokenised debt transaction for Asia Pacific investors where USD 50m in digital fixed rate security tokens using DLT across to high net worth investors in Singapore and Hong Kong from its London branch. This landmark transitional digital securities issuance involved navigating complex legal and regulatory issues under English, Swiss, Singapore and HK law.
  • Capbridge, an SGX-based primary capital raising platform for private companies based on blockchain technology and its sister company, 1exchange (1X), Singapore’s first regulated private securities exchange which allows for trading of security tokens, including successfully representation to expand its licence to include custodial services.
  • Shareable Assets Pte. Ltd., one of the first platforms to obtain a capital markets services (CMS) license from the MAS for offering fractional ownership in real estate investments, by issuing asset-backed security tokens utilizing blockchain technology.
  • Asia Wealth Platform (operating under the name "StashAway"), one of the first robo-advisers to obtain a CMS license from the MAS. StashAway is digital wealth management platform providing personalized and automated portfolio management services to both retail and accredited investors.
  • 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, both investors and companies to seek alternative investment and obtain debt financing, respectively.
  • Various leading international payment companies (including a major ride hailing company and a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate that is the wolrds largest in the video game industry) on obtaining their institution (MPI) licences under the Payment Services Act (PSA), on the roll-out of various products in Singapore and their ongoing conduct of business requirements and compliance procedures.
  • Various financial institutions on regulatory change of control approvals including successfully representing private equity investors in the USD6.3 billion take-private of a major payments technology firm.    
  • Various multinational banks, payment and Fintech companies (including buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) providers) on cross-border regulatory surveys and to develop cross-border documentation, including 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 solution responsive to their business in each of the various jurisdictions taking into account different regulatory regimes.
  • Several multinational banks and financial institutions on their internal investigations into potential misconduct of their traders, including AML offences, insider trading and other market misconduct offenses.

*Experience acquired prior to joining CMS Holborn Asia.

Publications

Memberships & Roles

  • Singapore Academy of Law
  • Law Society of Singapore

Education

  • 2008 - University College London (LL.M. International Business Law)
  • 2007 - University of Manchester (LL.B. (Hons))
Practice Areas

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