Carey Olsen

Corporate; Fintech and Digital Assets; Trusts and Private Wealth; Private Client; Dispute Resolution and Litigation; Regulatory; Family Office

Chris Duncan is a partner in the corporate team, based in the Cayman Islands. He leads Carey Olsen's fintech and digital assets group across both the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands, being one of the few Cayman and BVI dual qualified advisors in the fintech space.

Chris advises clients on the full spectrum of fintech, crypto and digital assets matters, including, structuring and regulatory advice in connection with decentralised autonomous organisations (or DAOs), token issuances and early stage fundraising, centralised and decentralised exchanges, wallet providers and VC funds, NFT and gaming platforms and miningstaking operations. In addition, Chris advises clients in the regulated sector in connection with applications under both the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands VASP regimes.  With a background in regulatory and tax investigations, Chris also regularly helps clients navigate requests and investigations from local and foreign regulators and authorities, leaning on his regulatory investigations background.  Chris has published numerous articles and regularly speaks on panels, webinars and podcasts on all things fintech, crypto and web3.

Chris is ranked in Band 2 by Chambers & Partners FinTech and is noted as being "very familiar with the blockchain/Web3 space and developments in Cayman law"and "a very sophisticated and responsive lawyer."Chris was also recently recognised in the Citywealth Top 100 Crypto Advisors for 2022 as a highly accredited advisor. Chris is a registered Trusts and Estates practitioner, and has been recognised  in the Citywealth Future Leaders List in 2021, the Top 100 Private Client Lawyers in 2020 and was shortlisted for the Citywealth Lawyer of the Year (IFC) – Senior/Managing Associate category for 2020. Chris is ranked in the Chambers and Partners High Net Worth Guide with sources noting "he can navigate through matters seamlessly" and that he is "very commercial in his thinking".

Chris regularly works on the most innovative and highest profile projects including:

The formation of Cayman Islands foundation companies used in conjunction with decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) and decentralised projects. Advising institutional stablecoin provider on non-custodial wallet offering under Cayman and BVI law Providing structuring and regulatory advice across the Cayman Islands and the BVI in relation the full spectrum of fintech and digital assets matters, from to private and public token sales and protocol launches to centralised and decentralised exchanges. Advising clients on the implications of the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands Virtual Assets Service Providers Acts and providing assistance with applications for registration under the same, including in connection with novel decentralised finance applications. Assisting Jambo on their significant Series A financing round. Advising clients subject to information requests and enforcement notices and assisting with compliance connected to the same. Advising on a significant pre-IPO restructuring of various Cayman Islands trusts and BVI companies in advance of multi-billion dollar IPO. The creation of a variety of private wealth structures to hold and invest crypto and digital assets.

Prior to joining Carey Olsen, Chris was with Mourant in Guernsey from 2012 to 2019, working in both the Litigation and International Trusts and Private Client teams. Before that Chris worked at a large New Zealand firm focusing on commercial and transactional matters.

Chris was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 2008, as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2019, as a Cayman Islands attorney in 2019 and as a British Virgin Islands attorney in 2021. Chris is also a full member of STEP, holding the official TEP designation.

Chris graduated from the University of Otago, obtaining degrees in both Law and Chemistry.