banking & financial services regulatory
Schoenherr's banking & finance lawyers advise on all regulatory aspects in the banking & financial services industry.
"excellent know-how of all aspects of banking and finance law including regulatory matters"
Legal 500
Schoenherr's Banking and Financial Services Regulatory team is recognised as one of the most innovative and forward-looking practices in Austria and across Central Eastern Europe. We combine deep market insight, legal excellence and a pragmatic approach to help financial institutions, FinTechs and investors navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape. Whether adapting to new EU frameworks or anticipating the next wave of digital transformation, our clients trust us to turn regulation into opportunity.
Regional strength and on the ground expertise
With offices and expert teams across Central Eastern Europe, Schoenherr offers clients seamless regulatory advice wherever they do business. Our lawyers combine in-depth local knowledge with a regional perspective, enabling clients to anticipate and adapt to country-specific supervisory practices, market dynamics and cross-border challenges. From Vienna to Bucharest, from Warsaw to Sofia, we speak the regulatory language of every market in which we operate.
Full-spectrum coverage
We support clients across the entire lifecycle of their financial services business - from market entry and licensing to operational compliance, strategic transactions and enforcement proceedings. Our integrated regulatory and transactional expertise ensures seamless support for every regulatory challenge and opportunity.
Our services
Our dedicated cross-disciplinary and cross-office teams combine expertise in non-contentious as well as contentious regulatory matters, advising domestic and international credit institutions, investment firms, asset managers, payment firms, FinTechs, insurance companies as well as market infrastructure providers and trading platforms on all aspects of their business.
Non-contentious financial regulatory services
- FMA/ECB authorisation procedures
- branching and passporting solutions
- ongoing regulatory engagement and supervisory communications
- evaluating and licensing of new business models and platforms
- strategic partnerships, joint ventures and regulatory sandboxing
- market access and passporting
- MiCA readiness and EU rollout
- operational and prudential readiness
- assessment of MiCAR-business models and feasibility studies
- white paper review
- product classification and product structuring
- regulatory due diligence on financial sector targets
- change in control and approvals: multijurisdictional regulatory clearances, fit and proper assessments, conditions precedent management
- structuring and integration: carveouts, booking model and product migration, client communications, post-acquisition integration
- AI governance and compliance
- ICT risk and cyber resilience (DORA/NIS2 alignment)
- cross‑border data strategy and outsourcing
- incident response, playbooks and contingency planning
- product design, perimeter analysis and compliance under PSD2/PSD3/PSR
- cross border expansion, agent/distributor and cooperation models
- AML/KYC, strong customer authentication
- open banking strategies and APIs
- licensing of investment firms and trading venues under MiFID II
- conduct of business, suitability and product governance frameworks
- cross-product compliance across securities, payments and crypto-assets
- monitoring and implementation of EU frameworks (MiCA, PSD3/PSR, DORA, AML Package, CRR/CRD)
- impact assessments, regulatory horizon scanning and compliance transformation projects
- fund formation and structuring
- marketing, passporting and delegation
- AIFMD/UCITS compliance and regulatory engagement
- product structuring
- ISDA and trading documents
- netting/enforceability analyses and "top up" opinions
- synthetic and true sale transactions
- regulatory capital relief, risk retention and prudential recognition assessments
- STS qualification and prudential treatment assessments
- recovery plans and playbooks
- resolution readiness (MREL/TLAC strategies, separability and bail‑in mechanics)
- regulatory engagement with SRB and NRAs including remedial actions
- policy design and compliance: CRD/UCITS/AIFMD remuneration frameworks, malus/clawback, deferral, and instrument-based pay
- governance structures, accountability and management responsibility mapping
Contentious financial regulatory services
- regulatory perimeter, licensing and change-in-control analysis
- regulatory mapping and horizon scanning
- governance frameworks, policies and statements of responsibilities
- product structuring and distribution compliance
- outsourcing and operational resilience
- early case assessment and strategic options
- regulatory inquiries "triage" and strategic response coordination, including document collection, privilege and communications strategy
- internal investigations and root‑cause analysis
- regulatory interview and compelled testimony preparation
- cross‑border enforcement coordination to ensure consistent narratives and remedial actions
- representation in contentious regulatory proceedings and enforcement actions
- negotiation with authorities and settlements
- remediation and compliance enhancements
- representation in litigation involving financial products, collective redress and complex derivatives
- defence against investor claims and supervisory sanctions
news
publication
to the point: financial regulation | 10/2026
Welcome to our to the point newsletter. Every month, we look back at the most relevant developments in financial regulation in the CEE region.
newsletter
MNB relaunches market supervision portal to strengthen investor protection
On 2 November 2026, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) relaunched the market supervision and capital markets section of its website (piacfelugyelet.mnb.hu). The portal is no longer focused primarily on the authority's activities but serves as an information platform for investors. It also enables users to report suspected unauthorised providers and capital market abuse online, including anonymously.
press release
09 November 2026
M.Florea M.Neagu K.Kaloyanova-Toshkova S.Lazăr N.Oprea D.Kara F.Buta G.Bădescu D.Trusculete N.Rašljanin A.Florea T.Burduja S.Petronijević
Romania: Schoenherr advises Raiffeisen on completion of Garanti BBVA Group Romania acquisition
Schoenherr advised Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Raiffeisen Bank SA ("Raiffeisen") on the successful completion of the acquisition by Raiffeisen Bank SA of 100 % of the shares in Garanti BBVA Group Romania (comprising Garanti Bank SA and the leasing unit Motoractive IFN SA) from subsidiaries of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (BBVA). The transaction strengthens Raiffeisen's position in the Romanian banking market.
"For banking M&A transactions, they have a high degree of regulatory sophistication."
Chambers
team
our team
Our banking & financial services regulatory team works on complex matters across CEE.