Peiying Chua Heikes
Partner, Head of Singapore Financial Regulation, Asia Head of Fintech, Singapore
“I’m in touch with current and emerging trends and executing on innovative and impactful projects. I have a deep knowledge of the financial services and fintech market including novel ways to deliver financial services. I’m always focused on providing high-quality and practical advice. As Head of the Fintech Group in the Asia region, I have a team of bright, highly commercial, and client-oriented lawyers who are very knowledgeable at what they do.”
Overview
Professional experience
Education and qualifications
Published works
Overview
Peiying is the Head of Fintech Group in Asia region and the Singapore Head of the Financial Regulation Group. She is consistently recognised as a leading financial regulatory and fintech lawyer.
She is described by clients in Chambers Asia Pacific 2024 as "an extremely knowledgeable regulatory lawyer who consistently provides optimal advice and solutions" to the challenges their business faces operating across numerous jurisdictions. She is praised by clients as "one of the top experts in financial regulations in Singapore with special regards to digital payment tokens’ and ‘a leader in the field of FinTech and cryptocurrency law in Singapore".
As a financial regulatory specialist, Peiying advises banks, broker-dealers, investment managers and other financial services institutions on all issues related to their regulated status on a broad range of domestic and cross-border financial services regulatory matters.
Leveraging off her financial regulatory and market experience, Peiying’s practice spans the full fintech spectrum, including advising on the fintech regulatory regimes, structuring of new financial products linked to digital assets, the creation of digital platforms, and offering of blockchain and cryptocurrency products and services. A payments specialist, she is regularly sought out by major payment services disruptors.
In the fintech space, Peiying advises clients ranging from disruptive start-ups and mature and emerging fintech companies, to global financial institutions and payment infrastructure providers.
Peiying takes a keen interest in social impact work and is the firm’s Social Impact Partner in Singapore.
Work highlights
Among the many matters on which Peiying has led or been a key adviser, she has advised:
- BondbloX [formerly BondEvalue] on its blockchain trading platform and issue of fractionalised bonds, and other fintech firms on tokenisation of assets structures.
- Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited on all Singapore financial regulatory aspects of the Bond Connect project. Bond Connect introduces a more streamlined way to trade and hold onshore bonds in the China Interbank Bond Market for foreign investors.
- A Singapore-based blockchain platform on its token offering – Zilliqa, creating the first Singapore-based unicorn ICO, with a market-capitalisation of over US$1bn soon after issue, including engaging with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
- International banks on key business conduct obligations, including best execution, individual accountability / senior manager regimes and anti-commingling rules.
- Global asset managers (private equity, real estate, etc.), trading houses and market operators on successfully obtaining the relevant licences, and on ongoing regulatory compliance requirements.
- Association of Crypto Currency Enterprises and Start-ups Singapore (ACCESS) on drafting its Code of Practice, setting out anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism best practices for cryptocurrency firms operating in Singapore.
- Numerous payment services firms with applications to the MAS for new licences under the Payment Services Act and on conduct of business obligations, including crypto-custodians, a number of the largest crypto-exchanges in the world, technology services providers, e-money issuers and proprietary crypto-trading firms.
Professional experience
Peiying is at the forefront of proposed regulatory changes, and often works with industry bodies, regulators, and Government authorities on proposed new legislation in public and private industry consultations. Peiying is the Chair of the Regulatory & Compliance Sub-committee at Blockchain Association of Singapore (BAS) and sits on the ASIFMA Fintech Working Group.
She also sits on the firm’s global Fintech Steering Group, which drives fintech strategy for the firm.
Prior to joining Linklaters, Peiying was director and assistant general counsel in Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She also spent time on secondment in Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers.
Education and qualifications
Peiying studied law at the National University of Singapore, which included an exchange year with Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Canada.
She speaks English and Mandarin.