Leel Sinai
Leel Sinai is a counsel in the Finance Practice Group in Haynes Boone’s New York office.
Leel has diverse experience as an attorney, including working in-house and as a regulatory consultant. His practice focuses on bank and financial services regulation and fintech, including innovation in cryptocurrency and payments.
Advising some of the largest financial institutions and fintech companies, Leel provides deep regulatory knowledge in connection with U.S. federal and state bank, trust company, money transmitter, lender, and anti-money laundering regulatory frameworks, the application and licensing processes for regulated transactions or product offerings, regulatory advice in the context of product analyses and partnership strategies, and anti-money laundering compliance, as well as transaction diligence and execution for significant acquisitions and offerings. He routinely counsels clients on the strategic design and implementation of enhanced regulatory compliance and risk management programs.
Additionally, Leel has experience with conducting internal investigations and leading remedial initiatives in response to regulatory examination results.
Leel earned a joint JD-MBA at Hofstra University, concentrating his studies on financial services regulation and international law. Leel also earned a Master of Arts degree in Middle East Studies at Ben-Gurion University in Israel.
- Regulatory diligence on behalf of a prominent U.S. entity that operates global financial exchanges and clearing houses in its acquisition of a major software company that processes U.S. mortgage applications
- Obtained bank regulatory approval on behalf of a U.S. bank acquisition of the trust and custody business of a large foreign banking organization
- Global regulatory analysis for a major U.S. technology company in its development and roll-out of non-fungible token and merchant payment-related services
- Regulatory diligence on behalf of a foreign banking organization in its acquisition of a controlling interest in a cross-border technology company in the banking, money transmission, and broker-dealer spaces
- Obtained bank regulatory approval for purposes of a acquisition of a foreign banking organization by another foreign banking organization
- Representations of foreign and domestic financial institutions and FinTech companies in their development of financial products and services, and sales or acquisitions of ownership in other entities
Some of these representations were handled by Leel prior to joining Haynes Boone.
- New York City Bar Association, Banking Law Committee
- American Bar Association, Banking Law Committee
- American Jewish Committee, Vice President
Education
J.D., Hofstra University School of Law
M.B.A., Hofstra University
M.A., Middle East Studies, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
B.A., Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo
Languages
Hebrew
Admissions
New York
New Jersey
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Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies Hone in on Loans to Nondepository Financial Institutions
January 04, 2024