Liam advises globally leading financial services clients on financial services regulation, digital assets, AFSL licensing, AML/CTF compliance and investment funds. He leads Australia’s financial services and digital assets regulatory practice.

Biography

Liam acts for domestic and international financial services clients including insurers, superannuation funds, banks, trading houses, digital asset exchanges and funds. His clients include four of the five largest digital asset exchanges in the world, 26 banks, insurers and superannuation funds on the Financial Accountability Regime, and major institutions including Barclays, Westpac, Commonwealth Bank, Aware Super, CareSuper and Funds SA.

Liam advises on complex AFSL licensing, financial services product design, governance and compliance, AML/CTF (AUSTRAC obligations), investment fund formation, digital asset regulation and tokenisation. His practice spans regulatory reform, providing evidence to government inquiries, and advising clients at the intersection of financial services law, digital assets and emerging asset classes. He is a contributing author of looseleaf services on financial services, AML/CTF and the Financial Accountability Regime for LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters.

Liam has acted on some of Australia’s most significant financial services regulatory mandates, including advising on OSL’s acquisition of Banxa (the largest public markets crypto transaction in Australian history), acting for Forte Securities on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Project Acacia (tokenised Australian Government Bonds), advising the Dubai Future Foundation on Dubai’s regulatory framework for real estate tokenisation, and advising Funds SA (A$48 billion under management) on an ongoing basis. He gave evidence to a Federal Government Inquiry into Schemes, Digital Wallets and Innovation in the Payments Sector in February 2025.

Liam is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Griffith University where he teaches financial services law, and is undertaking a doctorate on the tokenisation of financial products. He leads the Law Council of Australia’s digital assets sub-group and has acted as an expert reader for the Australian Law Reform Commission. He is ranked number 34 in the DA List of the top 50 individuals shaping digital assets and finance in Australia. He is frequently sought by media and policymakers for commentary on financial services reform and publishes a widely read weekly Financial Services Regulation newsletter.

Credentials

Academic qualifications:

Memberships:

Liam's experience

Funds SA

Advising Funds SA, the specialist investment manager for the South Australian Government with more than A$48 billion under management, on all aspects of regulatory compliance, licensing and governance.

Tether

Advising Tether, the world's largest stablecoin issuer, on its strategy for incoming digital assets legislation, and undertaking all related regulatory compliance, disclosure and commercial contracting.

Aware Super 

Advising Aware Super, one of Australia's largest superannuation funds, and its subsidiaries on all aspects of AML / CTF uplift to respond to incoming Tranche 2 AML / CTF reforms, inclusive of program, risk assessment, and governance design.

Forte Securities

Designing the structure for Australia's tokenised Government bonds initiative, as part of the RBA-led 'Project Acacia', Australia's flagship digital asset research project.

Corpay

Advising Corpay, an S&P 500 company specialising in FX and cross-border payments, on all aspects of compliance & remediation in responding to publicised ASIC findings.

Finclear

Advising Finclear, the first Tier 2 ASIC-licensed market operator for unlisted companies and wholesale unlisted funds, in connection with substantive new product design in managed funds.

OSL Group

Acting for OSL Group, a HK-listed digital assets exchange, on all aspects of its acquisition of Banxa group, an Australia payment provider. This transaction is the largest public markets transaction in Australia in the digital assets sector.

Awards, recognition and ranking