The 2025 edition of Chambers FinTech Guide has awarded Lee & Ko the highest ranking, Band 1, in the legal category.
In its commentary, Chambers and Partners noted Lee & Ko as a premier law firm in South Korea, hailing its robust corporate and capital markets expertise and proven track record in advising and representing major financial institutions and FinTech startups across a broad spectrum of issues, such as digital payments, virtual assets, and internet banking. It further featured input from clients to highlight Lee & Ko’s exceptional ability to navigate regulatory compliance challenges and manage potential risks.
It is worth noting that Lee & Ko’s Digital Finance Team advised and secured Galaxia Moneytree’s designation as an innovative financial service for issuing blockchain-based trust beneficiary certificates for aircraft engine leases, marking the first successful case by a law firm since the announcement of security token guidelines by Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC). Well-versed in matters related to the Electronic Financial Transactions Act, the team also provided counsel to major clients such as Samsung C&T, Shinsegae, Lotte Shopping, and HYBE on the registration of their prepaid business and successfully represented virtual asset companies, including DSRV and BDACS, in filing and obtaining a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license this year.
Currently, Lee & Ko’s digital finance professionals handle legal affairs to provide regulatory assistance to global virtual asset companies such as Worldcoin, BitGo, and NTT Docomo for their entry into Korea. On the domestic front, they offer expert legal guidance to the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in Korea, namely, Dunamu (Upbit) and Bithumb, as well as major Korean companies like LINE NEXT, Shinsegae, Com2us, and SK Networks, in response to cryptocurrency regulatory authorities. In criminal cases, the team handles various high-profile cases involving virtual assets in Korea, such as the Terra-Luna and Haru Invest cases, demonstrating its unparalleled and in-depth expertise in the overall discipline of virtual assets. Furthermore, its competence extends to advising clients on obtaining innovative financial service status with a focus on integrating AI technologies into the financial sector, as showcased by a comprehensive legal review of Hana Bank’s use of AI-generated images.
Hyunkoo Kang, a partner at Lee & Ko specializing in financial regulatory compliance, has been recognized as a notable practitioner in the individual category. Drawing upon outstanding expertise, Mr. Kang advises his clients on various FinTech and financial regulatory matters related to payment models, blockchain, and cross-border e-wallet services, among others.
The Chambers FinTech Guide, one of the world’s leading legal ranking directories in the UK released by Chambers and Partners, identifies and ranks top law firms in the Fintech sector across more than 50 countries worldwide.