Overview
Meagan Griffin is Of Counsel in the Global Fintech & Payments Group at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Atlanta office. Meagan focuses her practice on the representation of bank and non-bank financial institutions, financial services and financial technology companies, digital asset platforms, payment networks, and investment firms on transactional and regulatory issues in all areas related to the provision of payments.
She has advised clients on issues related to global product development, enforcement actions, and regulatory compliance, as well as acquisitions, investments, and commercial arrangements between parties in the global payments space.
Meagan regularly counsels clients on compliance with federal and state law applicable to electronic payments, mobile payments, digital assets (including cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), in-game currencies, stablecoins, and central bank digital currencies), and prepaid access, including state and federal money transmission laws and licensing regimes, state and federal gift card laws, Regulation E, and the Bank Secrecy Act.
In 2023, Meagan was recognized as one of the Daily Report’s 2023 Southeastern Legal Awards “On the Rise” winners (a publication under The American Lawyer network). Meagan was also named a 2024 Fintech “Rising Star” by Law360.
Meagan’s representative experience includes:
- Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of FTX and its 100+ affiliates in one of the largest chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in history, valued at over $32 billion.
- MoneyGram International in its $1.8 billion acquisition by Madison Dearborn.
- Fiserv in its $22 billion acquisition of First Data.
- Sendwave in its acquisition by WorldRemit.
- Linden Lab developer of Second Life, in its acquisition by Waterfield Group.
- Coinbase on a wide range of regulatory matters and in the acquisition of state money transmitter licenses.
- Coinbase on its acquisition of Tagomi, the leading crypto prime brokerage platform.
- Coinbase on its acquisition of Bison Trails, the leading blockchain infrastructure platform.
- TBD a division of Block, on its pilot with Yellow Card creating infrastructure to facilitate cross-border payments and fiat off-ramps bridging traditional payments rails, including U.S. dollars and local fiat currencies in certain African countries, to stablecoins and bitcoin.
- Circle on a range of critical transactions and issues, including a wide variety of money transmission, product structuring, and regulatory matters related to Circle’s flagship USDC stablecoin, the launch of a regulated crypto yield product offered as a treasury solution for enterprises and corporate treasury leaders, and on the launch of EUROC, the euro-backed stablecoin.
- Blockchain.com on a variety of regulatory matters and day-to-day strategic initiatives, including product design and funds flows.
- Binance.US on a variety of regulatory matters and product development, as well as commercial arrangements with banks, financial institutions, and technology services providers.
Meagan volunteers with the Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Gender-Affirming Name Change Project and has co-hosted a seminar focused on teaching volunteer attorneys to represent clients in gender-affirming name changes, birth certificate amendments, and gender marker changes. She has served on the Service Council and Advisory Council of Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and currently serves as Southeast Regional Ambassador for the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency.
Representations
- Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of FTX and its 100+ affiliates in one of the largest chapter 11 bankruptcy filings in history, valued at over $32 billion.
- MoneyGram International in its $1.8 billion acquisition by Madison Dearborn.
- Fiserv in its $22 billion acquisition of First Data.
- Sendwave in its acquisition by WorldRemit.
- Linden Lab developer of Second Life, in its acquisition by Waterfield Group.
- Coinbase on a wide range of regulatory matters and in the acquisition of state money transmitter licenses.
- Coinbase on its acquisition of Tagomi, the leading crypto prime brokerage platform.
- Coinbase on its acquisition of Bison Trails, the leading blockchain infrastructure platform.
- TBD a division of Block, on its pilot with Yellow Card creating infrastructure to facilitate cross-border payments and fiat off-ramps bridging traditional payments rails, including U.S. dollars and local fiat currencies in certain African countries, to stablecoins and bitcoin.
- Circle on a range of critical transactions and issues, including a wide variety of money transmission, product structuring, and regulatory matters related to Circle’s flagship USDC stablecoin, the launch of a regulated crypto yield product offered as a treasury solution for enterprises and corporate treasury leaders, and on the launch of EUROC, the euro-backed stablecoin.
- Blockchain.com on a variety of regulatory matters and day-to-day strategic initiatives, including product design and funds flows.
- Binance.US on a variety of regulatory matters and product development, as well as commercial arrangements with banks, financial institutions, and technology services providers.
Engagement & Publications
- Client Alert – “Money Transmitters Face New Requirements under Proposed New York Cybersecurity Rule” – October 6, 2016
- PH Conversations – “Crypto Earning interest? Recent Regulatory Issues” – August 5, 2021
- PH Conversations – “A Conversation on the President’s Working Group Report on Stablecoins” – November 11, 2021
- Money Transmitter Regulators Association Annual Conference – “The Current Legislative Landscape in Crypto” – September 22, 2022
- North Carolina Office of the Commissioner of Banks Annual Training Forum – “The Current Legislative Landscape in Crypto” – March 15, 2023
- Atlanta Blockchain Center – “Shaping the Future of Crypto” – March 23, 2023
- Money Transmitter Regulators Association Intermediate School for Regulators – “Bankruptcy Considerations for Licensed Money Transmitters” – July 13, 2023
- Association for Women in Cryptocurrency – “DeFi & Regulation” – August 7, 2023
- Money Transmitter Regulators Association Annual Conference – “Bankruptcy Considerations for Licensed Money Transmitters” – September 11, 2023
- The Block – “Trends in Regulation of Digital Assets” – September 26, 2023
- Crypto Derivatives On-Chain: One-Day Summit – “Building the Bridge to Tradfi: The Intersection of Traditional Finance and Blockchain” – October 10, 2023
- “Best Practices: Money Transmitter License Annual Renewals” – October 2023
- PH Insights - “Seven Things to Know about California’s New Crypto Licensing Bill” – October 24, 2023
- Association for Women in Cryptocurrency – “Crypto Policy: What’s Happening on the Hill?” – November 9, 2024
- Association for Women in Cryptocurrency – “Fireside Chat – Reimagining Payments: The Business Case for Digital Currencies” – February 26, 2024
- University of Virginia School of Law – Law, Innovation, Security, and Technology Society - “Women in the Digital Assets Industry: Different Perspectives on Stablecoins” – April 9, 2024