Allende & Brea is known for its deep knowledge of the fintech regulatory and commercial backdrop and is sought out by clients seeking practical advice on how to navigate constantly evolving regulation, cope with increased scrutiny and mitigate risk. A founding member of the Argentine Fintech Chamber, the firm has curated a specialist team of corporate, banking and finance lawyers with the multi-disciplinary expertise required to support clients in the fast-moving fintech space. The practice covers new technology, compliance, intellectual property, data protection, consumer, tax and labour issues, and is particularly familiar with frameworks for general fintech regulation, payment services oversight, open banking, cryptoassets and the implementation of blockchain technology in mainstream banking. The practice is co-led by IP, internet law and cybersecurity expert Pablo Palazzi, vastly experienced banking and payments law heavyweight Carlos Melhem and Jorge Mayorga, a respected banking and finance veteran. Mercedes Elaskar provides associate-level support and focuses on data protection, cybersecurity, technology and IP matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Allende & Brea is a strategic partner for us in Argentina. They have great knowledge of the market and know our business perfectly.'
‘The firm stands out for a large multidisciplinary team, with experts in most of the specialities required for good performance in the fintech industry.'
‘The constant predisposition to find solutions in a very young and changing industry.’
‘Allende & Brea stands out for its deep expertise in payments, transfers and fintech in general.’
‘The team provides personalised attention and seeks to align legal requirements with commercial realities.’
‘They have an incredible focus and dedication to the issues. They are always available and the quality of their work is very high.’
‘Carlos Melhem, Federico Rossi and Julián Peña have a very deep knowledge of their areas of practice but are also pragmatic. It is good to work with a decisive, focused and fast team.'
Key clients
- Astropay
- Banco BBVA Argentina
- Banco Industrial
- Banco Patagonia
- Banco Santander Argentina
- Bitso
- Coinbase
- Currencies Direct
- Dinero Gelt
- Decrypto
- Equifax – Organización Veraz
- Exodus
- Google Payments Corporation
- Koywe
- Levare I Incubator Fund
- Mastercard International
- Moni Online
- Meta
- Modo (Play Digital)
- Open Bank Argentina
- Openpay Argentina
- Plus500
- Ria Money Transfer
- Satellogic
- Synapse Financial Technologies
- TikTok
- Trend Capital
Work highlights
- Assisted Mastercard Cono Sur in the submission of a request for proposal launched by Mercado Pago (the fintech unit of MercadoLibre) for the issuance of credit cards in Argentina
- Advising Coinbase in the establishment of its business in Argentina through the incorporation of a local subsidiary which will be focused on Coinbase Wallet, a self-custody crypto wallet product.
- Advised Koywe in the establishment of an ITC crypto-based exchange in Argentina.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Carlos Melhem, Pablo Palazzi, Jorge Mayora