Stephen Aschettino

Stephen is an accomplished business lawyer and trial attorney with over 30 years of experience at the intersection of financial technology, regulatory compliance and complex commercial litigation.

As Chair of the firm’s Fintech & Digital Assets practice and Co-Chair of the Financial Services Industry group, Stephen counsels a diverse range of clients — from Fortune 500 companies and global financial institutions to emerging Fintech startups — on the legal and regulatory complexities of the evolving global payments and digital assets landscape.

A veteran of the payments industry, Stephen previously served as Chief Legal Officer to a leading payment processor. This in-house perspective enables him to provide practical, business-oriented solutions for clients navigating digital transformation, blockchain-based initiatives and global payment systems. His practice is particularly focused on:

• Payments Technology: Counseling on credit and debit cards, mobile wallets, prepaid and gift cards, embedded finance, digital wallets, virtual currencies, autonomous AI systems and money transmission licensing.
• Digital Assets & Blockchain: Advising on cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, NFTs, stablecoins, DeFi, Web3, digital custody solutions and blockchain-based distribution platforms.
• Regulatory Compliance: Guiding clients through federal and state financial regulations, preparation of compliance policies, data security, and payments-industry standards such as PCI-DSS, NACHA and card-network rules.
• Strategic Transactions: Negotiating high-stakes sponsorship and processing agreements, structuring intercompany transactions, preparing service agreements and customer-facing disclosures and performing regulatory due diligence.

In addition to his transactional and regulatory work, Stephen maintains a robust business litigation practice. He has served as lead trial and appellate counsel in a wide variety of commercial, insurance, and bankruptcy matters, managing national and regional litigation portfolios for clients in the e-commerce, manufacturing, and financial services sectors.

A frequent speaker and author of articles on payments, blockchain and cybersecurity issues, Stephen is also a sought-after source for technology and financial journalists covering the industry.