Partner

Joel D. Feinberg

Financial Institutions
Banking and Financial Services

jfeinberg@sidley.com

Washington, D.C. +1 202 736 8473

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JOEL FEINBERG is a co-leader of Sidley’s Banking and Financial Services practice, head of the firm’s Financial Institutions group in Washington, D.C., and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Joel advises operating companies and investors in the financial services and fintech space in regulatory counseling, public policy, licensing, M&A and transactional matters. Joel represents banks and their holding companies, investment funds, payment networks, platform companies, money transmitters, prepaid program managers, payment processors, e-commerce firms and others in the fintech space. Joel works extensively on payments-related matters, including as relates to blockchain/crypto, funds transmission products, mobile payment products and debit and prepaid products. In the counseling aspect of Joel’s practice, he works closely with clients on their most important compliance issues, including in the areas of anti-money laundering and economic sanctions.

Joel is ranked Band 1 in the 2024 Chambers FinTech guide in the USA Legal: Payments & Lending category, where he has been described by clients for his work around regulatory compliance, licensing and transactional matters in payments as “exactly what I look for in an external counsel. He is knowledgeable about the law and our internal requirements, exceedingly accessible and responsive, and creative.” In the 2024 edition of Chambers USA, clients described Joel as “a trusted advisor [who] understands our business and provides guidance that is comprehensive and practical.” The 2023 edition of Chambers USA recognized Joel for “his high-quality regulatory practice, which sees him counseling credit card providers and other lenders on significant compliance issues such as payments law, sanctions and AML.”

Awards

Ranked in Chambers FinTech, USA FinTech Legal: Payments & Lending (2018–2024) (Band 1)
Ranked in Chambers USA, Financial Services Regulation: Consumer Finance (Compliance), Nationwide (2021–2024)
Recommended for financial services regulation, The Legal 500 (2016–2017)
Named in the Banking category, Who’s Who Legal (2015)
“Rising Star” for Financial Services Regulatory in the United States, IFLR1000 (2014–2021)
2019 Chambers USA Award for “Financial Services Regulation Law Firm of the Year”
Recipient of “ILO Client Choice Award” in the area of Banking (U.S.) (2012)

Experience

Represented clients with respect to regulatory issues on buy and sell side of M&A transactions involving money transmitters, finance companies, fintech companies, depository institutions and their holding companies.
Represented a G-SIB bank over a multi-year period in connection with regulatory and transactional aspects of development, growth and sale of a multi-national prepaid card business.
Represented numerous banks in all aspects of commercial credit card programs, including the development of model agreements, negotiation of domestic and cross-border customer agreements and regulatory counseling on issues including AML/CFT and economic sanctions.
Advised a money center bank regarding the legal risks associated with participation in a new electronic payment system.
Represented a wide range of financial services and commercial clients with all aspects of AML/CFT compliance, including the development and evaluation of AML/CFT program documents, examination prep, employee training, government interactions, product development, deal diligence and ongoing advice.
Represented a financial services client in economic sanctions compliance, deal diligence, planning and enforcement matters.
Provided strategic regulatory counseling and advocacy for banks and other financial services companies with respect to licensing, consumer protection and prudential supervision requirements relating to deposit taking, payment cards and other payment products (P2P, B2B, G2C, etc.), mobile services, money transmission and financial data processing.
Advised banks, payments companies and trade associations in connection with federal and state legislation affecting financial services and regulatory rulemakings by federal and state banking agencies and FinCEN.
Represented established and start-up companies in multi-state money transmitter licensing and compliance efforts.
Represented prepaid industry participants, including program managers and card issuers, in a broad range of regulatory issues including state and federal laws applicable to money transmitters, state and federal gift card laws, state payroll card laws, state escheatment laws, federal regulation of payroll cards, government-funded cards and general-use prepaid cards.
Advised clients regarding licensing and regulation of virtual currency business activities, including investment fund activities and trading operations.
Advised banks, savings associations, industrial loan companies, credit card banks and trust-only banks, as well as investors in such institutions, regarding control issues, permissible activities issues, affiliate transaction and antitying issues, and other day-to-day compliance matters.

Joel D. Feinberg

Credentials

Admissions & Certifications

Education

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