JOHN CASANOVA is a senior counsel and has been practicing in the firm’s London office since 1999, including 21 years as a partner. He also practiced in the firm’s Singapore office from 2012 to 2016 and in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office from 1996 to 1999. John advises clients on a wide variety of U.S., UK, and EU financial services regulatory and transactional matters. He works regularly with banks, payment service providers, investment managers, fintech companies, brokers/dealers, payment systems, and other financial intermediaries in the UK, the EU, Asia, and the U.S. John has assisted clients with setting up and operating regulated businesses and financial services joint ventures in the UK, the EU, and in Asia. He also works with clients in responding to regulatory investigations and examinations. John has handled complex commercial transactions for regulated entities and acquisitions, and disposals of regulated businesses and asset portfolios.
John is co-editor of Payment Services Law and Practice (2022), and has been a contributor to the Review of Banking and Financial Services and the Journal of International Banking Law. He is a former editor of Payments and Fintech Lawyer, and has also been a contributing editor to Butterworths Financial Regulation Service for Payment Systems and Electronic Money. John is an English-qualified solicitor and a member of the District of Columbia bar in the United States.
John has received acknowledgement from numerous industry ranking guides:
- Chambers UK 2025 — Ranked as “Senior Statesperson” for Financial Services: Payments Law where clients recognize that “John understands where boundaries can be pushed. He can articulate real risks and things that can be bent for a better experience and a greater understanding of how clients should implement things,” and that “John’s depth and breadth of expertise is unprecedented.”
- Legal 500 UK 2025 — Recommended for Fintech: regulatory.
- Chambers FinTech 2024 (London) — Ranked for FinTech Legal and for Payments and Lending where sources note that “John has particular expertise in payments, data protection and privacy matters. He is really well known and he is a strong industry presence.”
- Chambers UK 2024 — Ranked in Band 1 for Financial Services: Payments Law where sources note that “John is an exceptional attorney who has taken the time to deeply understand our business. He is highly knowledgeable, always puts the client first and is very responsive.”
- Legal 500 UK 2024 — Recommended for Financial Services: non-contentious/regulatory. Sources say, “John Casanova has a deep knowledge of payments regulation and really understands the market. He’s great at translating complicated legal requirements into actionable advice and guidance.”
- Chambers FinTech 2023 (London) — Ranked for FinTech Legal in London (Firms) for Payments & Lending and FinTech Legal in London where one client comments that he “is an expert in the international payments arena and services as both a bottomless repository of relevant information about our industry as well as a peerless ‘traffic cop’ for directing our company to others from whom we can secure information not readily available to him.”