Paul Hastings LLP

Partner, Corporate Department

Chris Daniel is the Chair of Paul Hastings’ market-leading Global Fintech & Payments Group and is a partner in the Corporate Department. As the founder of the firm’s Band 1 and Tier 1-ranked Fintech team, Chris is recognized as one of the country's leading attorneys in payment systems law, including electronic payments, mobile payments, virtual and digital currencies, and money transmission.

Recognized as a “Fintech MVP” by Law360 and ranked Band 1 by Chambers, Chris is one of the most sought-after payments and cryptocurrency practitioners in the market. His unique strength lies in his ability to blend his financial services regulatory focus with unparalleled transactional experience in the Fintech industry.

Chris has significant experience advising clients on issues related to investments into payment systems companies and banks, the creation of settlement networks, transactional matters involving payment systems companies, global money transmission, and anti-money laundering issues associated with payments. He regularly practices before every state banking department, all federal banking agencies, FinCEN, and OFAC, and his client base generally consists of:

• Private equity and venture capital firms.
• Fintech startups as they develop and commercialize their product offerings.
• Cryptocurrency companies along the entire range of crypto offerings from blockchain development to crypto exchanges, DeFi and DApps, and ecosystem development.
• Legacy depositories, payments companies, and card networks who are innovating or contracting with fintech companies.
• Trusted Platform Companies, for which financial services contribute a significant percentage of their business.

Chris regularly practices before every state banking department, all federal banking agencies, FinCEN, and OFAC.

University of Kentucky College of Law, J.D., 1995 (magna cum laude, Articles Editor for The Journal of Natural Resources and Environmental Law) Previously served in the U.S. Air Force from 1987-1992, where he was an Instructor Pilot for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program Wake Forest University, B.A., 1987 (cum laude, with honors in Economics, Member of the 1986 NCAA Championship Golf Team)