Expertise
Ian is a partner in the Financial Institutions Group, specialising in financial services regulation. Ian has advised payment institutions, electronic money institutions, credit institutions, MiFID investment firms, and other financial institutions and investors in the financial services sector on compliance with regulatory standards and the impact of new regulatory developments at Irish and EU levels.
Ian is currently based in Matheson's London office.
Experience Highlights
- assisting a wide range of clients to successfully obtain regulatory authorisations from the Central Bank of Ireland including electronic money institutions, payment institutions, fund administrators, virtual asset service providers, credit servicing firms, MiFID investment firms, and retail credit firms.
- helping firms develop a target operating model that both meets Irish regulatory requirements and which ensures the firm's strategic and business goals are capable of being realised, including the development of the business plans, governance structures and inter-group outsourcing arrangements that are required to successfully progress any regulatory authorisation project.
- advising clients on their anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) obligations, including reviewing policies, procedures and business risk-assessments.
- providing bespoke legal advice and training on how to design and implement and oversee an effective AML/CTF programme within their firms.
- providing advice on the regulation of information security and digital operational resilience requirements that apply to regulated financial service providers.
- advising on the impact of the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation for firms trading in the virtual assets sector.
- carrying out comprehensive assurance reviews to manage regulatory risk, including assisting with risk mitigation programmes, Central Bank inspections and thematic reviews.
- advising clients on various regulatory compliance obligations such as consumer protection frameworks, product governance rules, and obtaining qualifying shareholder approvals.
Accolades
"Ian O’Mara is a top-class lawyer and is always on hand to give focused, commercially astute advice."
Fintech: The Legal 500 2023
"Ian O’Mara and Ciarán Moloney stand out in terms of knowledge, speed of delivery and responsiveness."
Fintech: The Legal 500 2023
Education
Admitted as a solicitor in Ireland - 2016
Dublin Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Arts, Law - 2013
London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc International Relations - 2008
University College Dublin, Bachelor of Arts - 2007