Image of Kristina Killick

Kristina Killick

Senior Associate

Kristina advises a wide range of clients, including banks, investment funds, corporates, financial technology companies, investment banks, exchanges, clearing houses, benchmark administrators, and trading platforms, in connection with various advisory and regulatory issues affecting their business

Experience

Representative matters

  • Advising banks, brokers, financial institutions, exchanges, clearing houses and corporates on business structure, ongoing compliance and other advisory issues.
  • Authorizations and licensing of new businesses.
  • Change of control and management / governance.
  • Client agreements / terms and conditions of business.
  • Policies and procedures.
  • Conduct of business.
  • Regulatory investigations and enforcement matters.
  • Client disputes.
  • Regulatory capital, capital instruments and capital structuring.
  • Scope of regulatory permissions and regulatory perimeter issues.
  • Custody, account, prime brokerage, and other agreements.
  • Corporate governance, senior managers regime, allocations of responsibility.
  • Anti-money laundering and sanctions.
  • Regulatory reporting.
  • The impact of various developments in European legislation, in particular their cross border impact, including MiFID II and EMIR.
  • Legal opinions and memoranda on regulatory matters.
Establishing new financial institutions or financial companies and regulatory approvals
  • Zürcher Kantonalbank on its recent establishment and FCA authorization process for a new UK brokerage subsidiary.
  • Intercontinental Exchange on its partnership with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and nine of the world's largest energy traders to establish ICE Futures Abu Dhabi, a new exchange in Abu Dhabi Global Market hosting the world's first Murban crude oil futures contracts.
Investigations, enforcement and litigation
  • A major European bank in connection with an investigation into alleged money laundering.
  • Certain investors in London Capital & Finance plc on their judicial review of the decisions of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (R v Financial Services Compensation Scheme Limited), a complaints process in which the FCA's decision not to compensate investors was held invalid by the Financial Regulators Complaints Commission and an upheld complaint against the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

– Law Firm of the Year, Peer2Peer Finance Awards, 2023.

Legislative drafting
  • A Middle Eastern country on the establishment of a new legal regime within its territory.
  • Numerous institutions and infrastructure providers on proposals to amend or introduce new laws and regulations in the UK and elsewhere.
Structuring and facilitating acquisitions and disposals of financial businesses or holdings in such businesses
  • DBAY on its acquisition of a stake in Anexo Group plc.
  • Members of management of a global wealth management group on their planned management buy-out.
  • Banco Bradesco Europa on restructuring its U.K. office.
Insolvency/Restructuring
  • As part of a consortium, advising the Central Bank of Cyprus on the reduction of non-performing loans and other problem assets in the Cypriot banking system.
Derivatives Regulation, Commodities
  • A range of funds, banks, and corporates on derivatives clearing, reporting, margin, contractual provisions and conduct of business requirements, including the EMIR, MiFID II package and CRR2 among others.
Outsourcings
  • Advising institutions on IT and intra-group outsourcings.
AML/Sanctions
  • Governments on matters relating to FATF and EU AML lists.
  • Various institutions in relation to U.K. and EU sanctions, including recent Russian sanctions.
Capital markets offerings and transactions
  • Various issuers and most of the main banks and brokers on selling restrictions, stabilization, analysts' research, ethical walls, market soundings, disclosure issues, Market Abuse Regulation matters and publicity in connection with their equity and debt offerings.

Qualifications

Admissions

Solicitor, England and Wales

Academic

University of Law LPC with MSc in Law, Business and Management

Brasenose College University of Oxford BA in Jurisprudence

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.