Omar Salem opens a new window

Partner

I am a financial services regulatory partner with a practical and dynamic approach, drawing on my experience as General Counsel of an FCA-authorised FinTech to work proactively with clients as they grow.”

Omar advises financial services and FinTech firms on their greatest strategic challenges and opportunities.

Omar enjoys working with ambitious clients to support their growth and develop new products, while pragmatically managing regulatory risk. He has a practical and dynamic approach, working collaboratively with clients.

Omar has deep financial regulation expertise, developed over a decade in private practice. This is complemented by practical understanding from having been a GC at an FCA-authorised FinTech, where he dealt with everything from commercial contracts to fundraising, litigation, data protection, trademarks and more.

Omar has broad financial regulation expertise, and is well positioned to advise a range of clients including:

• banks, electronic money institutions and payment services firms;
• trading and WealthTech platforms;
• insurance and InsurTech providers and brokers;
• mortgage lenders and consumer credit providers;
• digital asset and crypto asset providers; and
• asset managers and private equity houses.

In addition, Omar has extensive expertise advising on fast-moving regulatory due diligence and regulatory change in control processes for M&A transactions for some of the largest private equity firms in the word. He also has wide-ranging experience of advising on regulatory enforcement and investigations, including in relation to Payment Protection Insurance (PPI), mortgage prisoners, conflicts of interest, self-reporting requirements and FX trading.

Omar has a strong interest in innovative companies and products, having prior to his legal career worked at a leading global centre for social innovation, where he co-founded the UpRising Leadership Programme for young leaders from diverse backgrounds. He is also the Technology & Innovation power for the firm, supporting the adoption of new technologies to improve client service.

Omar is heavily engaged in the development of financial regulation policy and is a member of the Payments Association Regulatory Working Group. This is complemented by an extensive network across the City, Government, Parliament and Whitehall. He has also been a contributor to the Treasury report, further reflecting the recognition of his expertise. The report can be read here.

Omar has written on legal issues for CityAM, inews, the Oxford Business Law Blog and the Journal of International Banking Law & Regulation, amongst others.

Omar trained and qualified at Linklaters, where he worked for almost a decade and was a Managing Associate in the financial regulation team, before being Head of Legal and then General Counsel at an FCA-authorised FinTech.

Omar has an Executive LLM in Financial Law & Regulation from the London School of Economics, a GDL, LPC and LLB from the University of Law and a BA(Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from St. Hugh’s College, University of Oxford.

Clients have described Omar has an ‘exceptional lawyer’, who is ‘very clear’ and ‘incredibly helpful’.