Contact details

Katherine Liu

T: +852 2533 2717 M: +852 6193 5227 Email Katherine | vCard Office: Hong Kong

Awards

Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory

Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory

Next generation partner for Regulatory – Hong Kong

Next generation partner for Regulatory – Hong Kong

Asian Legal Business 40 under 40 2020

Asian Legal Business 40 under 40 2020

Katherine Liu Partner

Contact details

Katherine Liu

Katherine Liu
Partner

T: +852 2533 2717 M: +852 6193 5227 Email Katherine | vCard Office: Hong Kong

Katherine heads the Hong Kong office’s finance and financial services group. Being a key partner of the regulatory team in Hong Kong, with a focus on the financial services sector, Katherine advises clients on a wide range of issues, including compliance with financial services laws and regulations, employment and personal data laws. She is known to be responsive and able to give precise and commercially sound advice.
  • Profile
  • Services
  • Sectors

Her clients include financial services providers (such as banks, brokers, financial advisers, asset managers and Fintech companies) and financial services users (such as borrowers, investors and issuers). She has acted for various financial institutions relating to the establishment of their financial services business in Hong Kong, advised them on their on-going operational and compliance issues and some of their mergers and acquisitions or closures.

In recent years, she has worked with a number of fintech startups and established financial institutions in establishing their online businesses. Her first fintech-related experience started when she assisted a e-wallet company in obtaining a stored value facility licence, and has since moved on to advise a number of traditional and new financial institutions on the development of their websites and mobile apps to facilitate online investment trading or online lending. She has recently worked with a virtual bank on its standard client documentation and two financial services groups to digitalise their financial services.

Katherine regularly speaks at seminars and conferences on financial services regulations, seeks to raise people’s awareness on topical issues and considers how new technological and legal developments can impact the financial services industry. She was a finalist for the “Young Lawyer of the Year” award at the ALB Hong Kong Law Awards in 2019 and then a finalist for the "Woman Lawyer of the Year (Law Firm)" award at the Kingfisher ALB Hong Kong Law Awards in 2022. She was also listed in ALB's "40 under 40" most outstanding lawyers in Asia in 2020 and recognised as "Next Generation Partner (Regulatory)" by Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021 and 2022. She was also ranked as "Up and Coming" by Chambers Greater China Region 2022 (Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory). .

"Katherine Liu is knowledgeable, succinct on issues while providing practical advice and considerate to developments of the economy and respective market trends. Always easy to work with."
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022

  • Regulatory compliance
  • Finance
  • Commercial, outsourcing and technology
  • Banking and financial services regulation
  • Data protection and information

Regulatory

Advised clients on complying with the Banking Ordinance , Money Lenders Ordinance, Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance, Securities and Futures Ordinance etc.

Financial services compliance

Advising on compliance with financial services laws, regulations and codes and assisting with investigations by regulatory bodies.

Product authorisation and distribution

Advised various financial institutions on the authorisation requirements of offering and distributing investment products in HK, including those linked to insurance, securities, futures or FX.

Digital asset custodians

Advised a provider of custody and key storage solutions for holders of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets borrowing/lending services on the regulatory licensing and authorisation requirements in HK.

More: Regulatory compliance

Lender side

Structuring, documenting and negotiating secured and unsecured financings of all kinds for banks, money lenders, funds and other lenders.

Borrower side

Negotiating secured and unsecured financings of all kinds for financial institutions, corporates, individuals, funds and other borrowers.

Finance asset sales and mergers

Advising buyers and sellers of loans and other finance assets including providing guidance on mergers of financial institutions.

More: Finance

Market-leading online securities broker and other securities firms and asset managers

Advised a market-leading online securities broker and other SFC-licensed intermediaries on on-going legal and regulatory compliance matters such as: structuring of investment service offerings, client on-boarding, preparation of customer documentation and advising on compliance with regulatory obligations under the SFO and the SFC's various codes and guidance.

HKT Flexi Limited

Advised HKT Flexi, a subsidiary of HKT Limited, on the successful launch of its online money lending business in Hong Kong.

Digital Money Management Platform

Assisted a prominent HK financial conglomerate in establishing its digital wealth management platform, provided guidance on the regulatory issues from online client on-boarding and the offering of investment-related products/services via mobile app, and assisted in the revamp of its client documentation.

A global online securities broker

Advised a prominent online securities broker on the digitization of the client on-boarding process and offering of trading services via mobile app.  

Product authorisation and distribution

Advised various financial institutions on the authorisation requirements of offering and distributing investment products in HK, including those linked to insurance, securities, futures or FX.

Financial business licensing

Advising what regulatory licences are needed for banking, lending broking, advisory and other financial services businesses and obtaining those licences.

Financial services compliance

Advising on compliance with financial services laws, regulations and codes and assisting with investigations by regulatory bodies.

M&A of insurance-related businesses in HK

Acted in a number of acquisition involving insurance intermediaries. Advising on regulatory approval/notification requirements and liaising with the regulators. Giving advice in relation to the legal issues arising from the business of an insurance intermediary.

More: Banking and financial services regulation

Data protection and data privacy

Advised financial institutions on data protection and privacy issues, such as data breaches, data retention periods and data access requests.

Financial institutions

Advised various financial institutions on the structuring and marketing of their lending products, preparation of their client documentation, and provided on-going guidance on various regulatory compliance matters under the MLO and licensing conditions, data privacy and KYC requirements.

A global remittance agent

Advised an online global remittance agent on digital client on boarding issues and establishment of new business lines.

More: Data protection and information
  • Banks and banking
  • Technology
  • Funds and financial services

Banks

Advising on their merchant management platform and payment gateways. Reviewing agreement between banks and merchant and with customers.

Establishment, acquisition and closure of banking businesses in HK

Acted for major US, Canadian and European banks on the M&A, establishment and closure of banking businesses in HK, and advised on HKMA authorisation issues, cross-border compliance matters and post-acquisition integration issues.

Regulatory

Advised clients on complying with the Banking Ordinance , Money Lenders Ordinance, Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance, Securities and Futures Ordinance etc.

P2P secured lending

Advised a licensed money lender on the structuring, set-up and operation of an online P2P lending platform, the first of its kind in Hong Kong.

Market-leading online securities broker

Advised a market-leading online securities broker, a prominent HK financial conglomerate and other SFC-licensed intermediaries on on-going legal and regulatory compliance matters such as: structuring of investment service offerings, client on-boarding, preparation of customer documentation and advising on compliance with regulatory obligations under the SFO, the PDPO and the SFC's various codes and guidance.

Establishing online banking platforms

Assisted a number of virtual banks in establishing their online banking platforms, provided guidance on the regulatory issues from online client on-boarding and the offering of banking or investment-related products/services via mobile app, and assisted in the preparation of its client documentation.

Provider of custody and key storage solutions for holders of cryptocurrencies

Advised a provider of custody and key storage solutions for holders of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets borrowing/lending services on the regulatory licensing and authorisation requirements in HK.

Digital Money Management Platform

Assisted a prominent HK financial conglomerate in establishing its digital wealth management platform, provided guidance on the regulatory issues from online client on-boarding and the offering of investment-related products/services via mobile app, and assisted in the revamp of its client documentation.

P2P secured lending

Advised a licensed money lender on the structuring, set-up and operation of an online P2P lending platform, the first of its kind in Hong Kong.

Digital asset custodians

Advised a provider of custody and key storage solutions for holders of cryptocurrencies and virtual assets borrowing/lending services on the regulatory licensing and authorisation requirements in HK.

A US-based cryptocurrency exchange operator

Acted for the provider of a cryptocurrency exchange, tokenization services and hot and cold wallet storage solutions on its application to the SFC for a licence to conduct regulated activities in HK.

Trade finance platforms

Advised an emerging fintech company which operates an online trade financing platform in preparing its full suite of standard factoring documents and security documents.

More: Technology

Establishment, acquisition and closure of investment-related businesses in HK

Assisted securities firms and asset managers on the M&A, establishment and closure of  investment related businesses in HK. Advising on approval/notification requirement and liaising with the relevant regulators.

Financial institutions

Advised financial institutions on the structuring and marketing of their lending products, preparation of their client documentation, and provided on-going guidance on various regulatory compliance matters under the MLO and licensing conditions, data privacy and KYC requirements.

Product authorisation and distribution

Advised various financial institutions on the authorisation requirements of offering and distributing investment products in HK, including those linked to insurance, securities, futures or FX.

Digital Money Management Platform

Assisted a prominent HK financial conglomerate in establishing its digital wealth management platform, provided guidance on the regulatory issues from online client on-boarding and the offering of investment-related products/services via mobile app, and assisted in the revamp of its client documentation.

Awards

Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory

Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory

Next generation partner for Regulatory – Hong Kong

Next generation partner for Regulatory – Hong Kong

Asian Legal Business 40 under 40 2020

Asian Legal Business 40 under 40 2020

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