Former Senior SEC Official Joins Latham & Watkins

Hu joins Latham from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), where she most recently served as Head of the Office of Clearance and Settlement Supervision.  In this role, Hu oversaw clearing agencies registered with the SEC and was responsible for their risk supervision under the regime established by the Securities Exchange Act and the Dodd-Frank Act. She was also responsible for reviewing clearing agency rule filings, including vetting potentially market-transformative FinTech businesses that are seeking to operate in the new technology-driven financial environment. Before that, Hu served as an Assistant Director exclusively responsible for CDS clearing supervision, working closely with domestic and foreign CDS clearing houses.  During her tenure at the SEC, Hu was also a key player in the SEC's proposed rulemaking with respect to applying Dodd-Frank Title VII requirements to security-based swap dealers in the cross-border context.

Hu has a particularly deep understanding of the financial regulatory infrastructure that is fueling the growth of FinTech. While at the SEC, Hu was one of the agency's principal contacts for FinTech startups with a focus in clearing, post-trade processing, data management and related market infrastructure areas.  Over the years, she has established a reputation as one of the top practitioners in the application of the securities markets regulatory framework to modern financial technology products and services.

Hu is the latest financial regulatory hire the firm has made to its preeminent Financial Institutions Group, following the hires of leading English law practitioners Rob Moulton and Nicola Higgs in London.  Her extensive regulatory experience further enhances the firm's integrated global financial regulatory and market infrastructure practices in Europe and globally.  A native Mandarin speaker, Hu will also work closely with the firm's Asia practice, and she will offer her insights to Asian clients that are seeking to expand their business globally.

"Wenchi is a recognized leader in clearing, financial technology and intermediary matters across the securities markets, and we are delighted to welcome her to the firm," said Michèle Penzer, Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins in New York. "She will bring tremendous value to our financial institution clients in New York and across the globe navigating emerging areas like FinTech, as well as regulatory issues and product structuring challenges spanning major jurisdictions."

Witold Balaban, Global Co-Chair of Latham's Financial Institutions Group, said: "Wenchi's arrival solidifies Latham's position as the leading firm on global financial regulatory matters.  She is an authority in the market on Dodd-Frank and brings deep understanding of the financial regulatory infrastructure that is a driving force behind the growth in FinTech, as well as substantial experience in derivatives regulatory and transactional matters focused on clearing and related market infrastructure areas.  She will work closely with the firm's integrated US and EU financial regulatory practices to help global financial institution clients address complex, cross-border regulatory challenges."

Ian Schuman, Global Co-Chair of the firm's Capital Markets Practice, added: "Wenchi is a 'go to' resource for the investment banks, regulators and innovative technology firms who are looking for guidance in developing a regulatory compliant product offering. Wenchi's reputation as one of the leading regulatory lawyers in the US is rightfully earned by her many years on the front lines of financial regulation. She will be a significant contributor to the growth of our practice and a major asset to the corporate suite at the global banks, global market infrastructure providers and FinTech startups."

"Few firms can match Latham's combination of financial regulatory, emerging company and technology experience, and still fewer have the depth of talent in these intersecting areas in the world's financial capitals," said Hu.  "The firm's substantial resources and global platform make it uniquely positioned to respond to the needs of clients as they navigate the evolving regulatory environment.  I look forward to collaborating with the firm's M&A, capital markets, emerging companies, technology transactions and FinTech teams to bring all the firm's resources to bear for our clients."

Prior to joining the SEC, Hu was a Managing Director and Senior Counsel at Rabobank America in New York, where she headed a legal team supporting Rabobank's US capital markets and derivatives businesses.  She received her JD from University of California-Berkeley School of Law, her MA from University of Wisconsin-Madison and LLM from Harvard Law School, and her LLB from National Taiwan University.

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Wenchi Hu – Headshot or Casual

About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 2,200 lawyers in its offices located in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States, including: Barcelona, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Century City, Chicago, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the website at www.lw.com.

Notes to Editors
¹Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy and affiliated partnerships conducting the practice in Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Latham & Watkins operates in Seoul as a Foreign Legal Consultant Office.  Latham & Watkins practices in Saudi Arabia in association with the Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi.

Contacts
Michèle Penzer, New York Office Managing Partner, +1.212.906.1245
Witold Balaban, Financial Institutions Group Global Co-Chair, +1.212.906.4550
Ian Schuman, Capital Markets Practice Global Co-Chair, +1.212.906.1894

SOURCE Latham & Watkins

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