Etelka Bogardi

Asia Head of FinTech and Financial Services Regulatory; Partner Norton Rose Fulbright (Asia) LLP

Singapore +65 63095455

Etelka Bogardi

Etelka Bogardi is a financial services regulatory lawyer based in Hong Kong and Singapore, with a particular focus on FinTech. She has over 20 years of experience, among them 18 years in Asia, and heads the Asia Financial Services Regulatory and FinTech practices.

Etelka advises international financial institutions, investment funds, intermediaries, asset managers, insurers and FinTech companies on financial services regulatory issues. Given her previous experience as Senior Counsel to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Etelka is particularly familiar with financial services and products regulation, licensing and authorization issues, banking and intermediaries supervision and conduct matters, markets infrastructure, compliance and cross-border regulatory issues.

Etelka also frequently advises on regulatory matters related to innovative technologies in the financial markets, digital assets as well as payments regulation.

Etelka currently sits on the FinTech working group of the Asia Securities Industry & Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA) and provides frequent commentary to the press on regulatory issues. She is currently serving as a Hong Kong ambassador to the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), the leading industry association for the blockchain technology ecosystem, and she is also a Singapore and Hong Kong ambassador of The Association for Women in Cryptocurrency (AWIC), a global professional network of women and male allies in the crypto, blockchain, and web3 communities.

Professional experience

Representative experience

Advising:

A number of financial institutions in relation to licencing and authorization issues in Hong Kong.
A private bank on the regulatory aspects of the launch of investment products in Hong Kong.
A number of major financial institutions on investigations conducted by the HKMA.
Bitfinex, the first cryptocurrency exchange in Hong Kong, on the Hong Kong regulatory treatment of Bitcoin and in relation to anti-money laundering matters in 2013.
A leading US broker-dealer in respect of regulatory issues relating to a swap execution facility.
A number of domestic and international banks on regulatory issues relating to the supervision by the HKMA (including licencing, change of controlling shareholders and reporting obligations).
A Hong Kong-listed financial institution with its headquarters in the PRC in relation to a proposed hybrid capital issuance for regulatory capital purposes.
A European bank on the restructuring of its Hong Kong branch.
A number of entities on money lenders' licencing issues in Hong Kong.
A number of financial institutions on jurisdictional regulatory reviews.
An Australian financial services provider on Hong Kong regulations regarding leveraged foreign exchange trading.
A New Zealand company on the regulatory aspects of a proposed ICO in Hong Kong and Singapore.
A US technology company on the implementation of a blockchain-assisted FX settlement system.
A global financial institution on an online trade finance platform.
Financial institutions and start-ups on payment services.
A number of financial institutions on licencing and authorization issues in Hong Kong, including in relation to banking licences, applications for licensing by the SFC, as money brokers and as money service operators.
The National Council for Social Security and China Southern Fund Management on all aspects of its investment management needs conducted out of Hong Kong, including investment management agreements and transition management agreements.
Northern Trust on all aspects of its business in Hong Kong, including client documentation, China Connect and deal execution.
HitBTC, a European cryptocurrency exchange launched in 2013, on the Hong Kong regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.