Charlotte Henry
Charlotte is a Financial Services Regulatory partner specialising in banking regulation.
Charlotte has over 25 years’ experience in financial services spanning NZ, UK, Europe and now Australia. She assists banks, payment service providers / schemes, fintechs, retail wealth management businesses, retail brokerage businesses, distribution platforms and non-bank lenders, on complex issues relating to market entrance and cross border sales, development of new products / services, strategic direction, good governance, managing legal, regulatory and operational risks, advising on conduct, compliance and risk governance, implementing regulatory change and other transformational projects, digitisation, integration projects, relationships with regulators (in particular APRA, ASIC and AUSTRAC), handling AFCA complaints and remediation programmes.
In addition, Charlotte assists those who invest into the sector, project managing due diligence, regulatory compliance reviews and obtaining regulator consent.
Charlotte’s expertise is in Financial Crime, Consumer Credit, Prudential Standards and APRA requirements, Bank Governance Regulation including FAR and Banking Act, financial services laws including the Corporations Act (including product governance/DDO), Digital Asset financial services laws, Payments laws, Fintech and crypto laws, Unfair Contract Terms and ASIC requirements (including under the ASIC Act), Advertising laws, licensing laws and process (including bank licensing), approvals for changes of control in regulated entities and using the FSTRA for migration and integration projects.
Band 1: FinTech Legal – Chambers & Partners 2026
Band 1: Fintech and Financial Services Regulatory – Legal500 2026
Band 4: Financial Services Regulatory – Chambers & Partners 2026
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- regulatory support on over 100+ M&A, IPO, Take Private, PE and VC deals including for M&A divisions of banks and 3 of the world’s largest PE houses including Banking Circle’s acquisition of Australian Settlements Limited, Challenger’s acquisition of Challenger Bank and subsequent sale, NAB’s acquisition of the retail banking business of Citibank’s retail banking division in 2022 and subsequent integration, ANZ’s acquisition of Suncorp Bank in 2023, Bain’s takeover of airline, Virgin Australia, in 2021 sale of asset portfolios in the wind down of neo-banks Xinja and Volt, [IPO of Pay.com] , including obtaining relief from ASIC, exemptions from AUSTRAC and approvals from APRA
- obtained Australian Financial Services licences and Australian Credit licences from ASIC, digital currency exchange and money remitter registrations from AUSTRAC, bank licences (including e-money licences (PPF licences)) from APRA, and membership with Visa, MasterCard, eftpos, NPP, UnionPay, JCB and AusPayNet. For example, obtained a markets licence from ASIC for the International Continental Exchange (which owns the NYSE) group’s ETF Hub
- adviser to the world’s largest crypto exchange on token listings, regulatory compliance and licensing
- adviser to 4 global neo-bank/payment groups on new product launches, regulatory compliance, dealings with regulators, operational risk and governance. For example, assisted PayPal defend ASIC’s proceedings relating to unfair contract terms
- adviser on the global launch of a neo-bank’s proprietary stablecoin across 97 markets
- adviser to one of the world’s largest payment systems on new rail usage, regulatory compliance and risk, licensing, lobbying and material partnerships
- adviser to over 100 clients on implementing Australia’s newest regulatory regimes including the Financial Accountability Regime, breach reporting regime, design and distribution obligations (product governance) regime, prudential standard reforms, BNPL reforms, payment reforms, digital asset reforms, scam reforms and AML/CTF reforms; involved in regulator working groups associated with some of these reforms and supporting trade associations with the reforms. For example, advised the Australian Banking Association’s working group on lobbying Treasury on the scam reforms
- adviser to the 4 major banks on digital transformation or uplift projects, integration / migration projects and strategic projects. For example, advised ANZ on the sale of its merchant acquiring business to global payments firm, Worldline
Sectors
Background
Charlotte was previously a regulator at the UK Regulator, the Financial Services Authority (now Financial Conduct Authority) and worked in-house at the UK’s 3rd largest retail bank, Ireland’s largest retail bank and a PE house.
Charlotte holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB) (Hons), Bachelor of Arts (BA) Psychology & Criminology from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Charlotte is admitted to practice in England and Wales, Ireland, New South Wales and New Zealand.
Recognition
Leading Lawyer: Financial Institutions
Best Lawyers 2026-2027
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