All Professionals
Overview
Chris Daniel is the Founder and Chair of the Global Fintech & Payments Group of Paul Hastings and is a partner in the firm’s Corporate department. Chris’ unique strength lies in his ability to blend his financial services regulatory expertise with his many years of transactional experience. His client base generally consists of:
- Legacy depositories, payments companies, and card networks who are innovating or contracting with Fintechs.
- Trusted Platform Companies, for which financial services contribute a significant percentage of their business.
- Private equity and venture capital firms investing in and existing outside of Fintech companies, and the ongoing representation of those Fintech portfolio companies.
- 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.
Chris regularly practices before every state banking department, all federal banking agencies, FinCEN, and OFAC.
Recognitions
- Law 360, Fintech MVP (2023)
- Ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA Fintech Legal: Payments & Lending (2019 – 2023). Clients note Chris “is one of the pre-eminent experts in the field, a pleasure to work with and is able to solve complex issues quickly.”
- The Legal 500 USA, Leading Lawyer, Fintech (2019-2023)
- Included each year in the annual listing of The Best Lawyers in America.
- Founded and leads Paul Hastings' Global Fintech & Payments Practice, which is one of only three Fintech Groups ranked Band 1 in the U.S. for Fintech Legal by Chambers, and recognized as a 2021 Fintech Practice Group of the Year by Law360.
- His work was ranked as “standout” and in the top banding category in the “Accessing New Markets and Capital” category in the 2018 Financial Times’ North America Innovative lawyers report for the first ever major legislative victory for cryptocurrency against a regulatory challenge for advising cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase on the passing of a North Carolina state House bill allowing cryptocurrency exchanges to operate due to the fact that cryptocurrency is exempt from traditional money transmission laws.
- His work was "highly commended" in the Financial Times' North America Innovative Lawyers report in the “Enabling Clients to Innovate” category for helping to launch Samsung Pay on a tight schedule using a strategy that reinvented the way financial services contracts are created and negotiated.
Education
- 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)
news
- Paul Hastings Again Earns Top Rankings in Chambers FinTech 2024 - December 5th, 2023
- Chris Daniel Named 2023 Fintech “MVP” by Law360 - October 9th, 2023
- Four Paul Hastings Partners Recognized as 2023 “MVPs” by Law360 - October 2nd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised GTCR in $18.5 Billion Majority Stake Acquisition of Worldpay - July 7th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised Visa Inc. in $1 Billion Acquisition of Pismo - July 5th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Advised MoneyGram International in $1.8 Billion Acquisition by Madison Dearborn Partners - June 9th, 2023
- Paul Hastings Selected as Counsel to Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of FTX - December 22nd, 2022
- Paul Hastings Again Earns Top Rankings in the Chambers FinTech Guide - December 12th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Advises Banc of California in Acquisition of Deepstack Technologies - September 16th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Named ‘Fintech Group of the Year’ by Law360 - February 24th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Secures Top Rankings in Chambers FinTech Guide 2022 - December 13th, 2021
- Circle Launches Regulated Crypto Yield and Treasury Solution - June 25th, 2021
- Paul Hastings Ranked as Top Three Firm for New Rankings and Recognized for Numerous Practice Strength and Growth in Chambers USA 2021 - May 21st, 2021
- Paul Hastings’ Lawyers Recognized as 2021 Acritas Stars Across Key Practice Areas - March 24th, 2021
- Paul Hastings Secures Top Rankings in Chambers FinTech Guide 2021 - December 21st, 2020
- Paul Hastings Recognized for Legal Excellence in Legal 500 US 2020 - July 24th, 2020
- Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2020 - May 1st, 2020
- Paul Hastings Practices and Lawyers Score Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2019 - May 1st, 2019
- The Financial Times Recognizes Paul Hastings as Top Five Firm for Innovation in North America - December 11th, 2018
- Paul Hastings Secures Top Rankings in Chambers’ FinTech Guide for 2019 - November 30th, 2018
Recognitions
- Four Paul Hastings Partners Recognized as 2023 “MVPs” by Law360 - October 2nd, 2023
- Paul Hastings Again Earns Top Rankings in the Chambers FinTech Guide - December 12th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Recognized for Legal Excellence in the Legal 500 2022 - June 13th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Practice Recognized as 'Fintech Group of the Year' - February 25th, 2022
- Paul Hastings Top Ranked in Chambers FinTech Guide 2022 - December 13th, 2021
- 2021 Legal 500 United States Guide Ranks Paul Hastings' Fintech and Payments Practice - June 18th, 2021
- Paul Hastings Recognized for Legal Excellence in Legal 500 2021 - June 15th, 2021
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2021 - May 21st, 2021
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2020 - May 1st, 2020
- Ranked by Chambers USA 2019 - April 26th, 2019
- Recognized in the Chambers FinTech Guide - November 30th, 2018
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2018 - May 15th, 2018
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2017 - June 5th, 2017
- Recognized by Chambers USA 2016 - June 8th, 2016
insights
- FinCEN Proposes AML and SAR Filing Obligations for RIAs and ERAs - February 23rd, 2024
- CFPB: Fixing Something That’s Not Broken – But Setting Forth a Framework for Abusive Conduct - February 1st, 2024
- CFPB Takes Steps to Supervise Digital Payments Apps - November 9th, 2023
- FinCEN’s Mixer 311 Has Immediate Impacts for U.S. Financial Institutions and De-Fi Protocols - November 2nd, 2023
- Seven Things to Know About California’s New Crypto Licensing Bill - October 24th, 2023
- Kraken Consents to SEC Injunction and Ceases Marketing its Staking-as-a-Service Program - February 17th, 2023
- The UK’s New “Big Bang” for Crypto Regulation - February 2nd, 2023
- There’s a New Sheriff in Town: CCFPL Empowers California’s Financial Services Regulator - October 23rd, 2020
- Federal Reserve Seeks to Raise Interest by Issuing Revised FAQs for Its Main Street Lending Program - September 28th, 2020
- Beware of COVID Relief Fraud - September 17th, 2020
- Federal Reserve Expands Main Street Lending Program to Nonprofit Organizations and Updates FAQs - July 20th, 2020
- Federal Reserve Board Revises and Prepares to Open the Main Street Lending Program - June 11th, 2020
- Fueling Innovation in Times of Crisis: The Impact of COVID-19 on Fintech - May 29th, 2020
- COVID-19: Federal Reserve Board Announces It Is Expanding the Scope and Eligibility for the Main Street Lending Program - May 1st, 2020
- Overview of the Credit Facilities Implemented by the Federal Reserve to Provide up to $2.3 Trillion Relying upon its Emergency Lending Powers - April 9th, 2020
- Preparing Banks for the Next Round of Challenges While the Sun Is Still Shining - April 1st, 2020
- PH COVID-19 Client Alert Series: Overview of the Liquidity and Credit Support Programs of the CARES ACT and Implemented by the Federal Reserve (UPDATED) - March 27th, 2020
- PH COVID-19 Client Alert Series: Overview of the Liquidity and Credit Support Programs for Affected Businesses Proposed by Congress and Implemented by the Federal Reserve - March 24th, 2020
- Federal Regulators Propose Madden Fix - December 2nd, 2019
- CFPB FinTech Regulatory Innovation Initiatives Echo International Regimes - October 2nd, 2019