Melissa THAM is a Partner in the Financial Services Regulatory Practice.
Her main areas of practice include financial / payment services regulatory, transactional matters involving acquisitions of interests in Singapore financial institutions, and derivatives (both transactional and regulatory).
In the financial / payment services regulatory space, Melissa has experience in advising financial institutions and FinTech players on a broad range of regulatory issues, including those relating to licensing, offers of securities, compliance with ongoing business conduct requirements, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML / CFT) obligations, and change of control approvals.
She also assists her clients with licensing applications, applications for regulatory approvals arising from mergers and acquisitions or internal restructuring, and other notifications and applications to the regulator which are necessitated by changes in the client's business model or operations. On the documentation front, she has experience in preparing customer terms and conditions, account opening documentation, risk disclosure statements, compliance manuals and AML / CFT policies.
In light of the increasing global focus on promoting green energy, sustainability and philanthropy, Melissa has advised clients looking to launch initiatives relating to virtual power purchase agreements, green energy trading platforms, and online philanthropic hubs.
Her clients include fund managers (including private equity firms), financial advisers, brokers / dealers, banks, private banks, primary financial market infrastructure operators such as exchanges, clearing houses and systemically important payment systems, payment service providers, crowdfunding platforms, leading players in the cryptocurrency / blockchain space (including spot cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency derivatives platforms, and stablecoin issuers) and FinTech start-ups.
In the derivatives space, Melissa has assisted clients (both corporate end-users and hedge providers) with the preparation, review and negotiation of their derivatives documentation, including the 2002 ISDA Master Agreement, trade confirmations, credit support documentation, as well as derivatives trading and clearing agreements.
Melissa graduated from the National University of Singapore, and is admitted to the Singapore Bar.
Significant transactions that Melissa has been involved in include advising / acting for the following:
- UBS Group AG, on the Singapore financial services regulatory aspects arising from its merger with Credit Suisse Group AG. This was a landmark deal that was expected to create a business with more than USD 5 trillion in total invested assets.
- Coinhako, a Singapore-incorporated digital assets service provider, in becoming among the first cryptocurrency exchanges to successfully obtain a payment services licence under the Singapore Payment Services Act to provide digital payment token services.
- A global asset management group headquartered in the U.S. (and managing over US$500 billion of assets under management, as of 31 December 2023) with their expansion in Singapore. This involved assisting the Singapore subsidiary with obtaining a capital markets services licence for fund management, and preparing its compliance manual, AML/CFT policies, and regulatory notifications for its cross-border arrangements with its group companies.
- A start-up company with a business presence in Singapore, Europe, Middle East and Bermuda, in relation to its launch and operation of a blockchain-based platform for the trading of cryptocurrency derivatives, including perpetual contracts, options contracts and futures contracts.
- A leading financial institution in Singapore that is part of a global financial services group with a regulatory footprint in China, Hong Kong, India, US, UK and Southeast Asia, in relation to the preparation of a trade confirmation template for a total return swap for a basket of bonds as the underlying asset.
- A Singapore government-linked asset manager with around S$3 billion of assets under management, in relation to its currency option transactions and other operational hedging transactions vis-à-vis two large banks in Singapore.
Related Practices
- Financial Services Regulatory
- Singapore Academy of Law's SAL Practitioner journal – "A Guide to the Regulatory Treatment of Stablecoins under the Singapore Payment Services Act 2019" [2024] SAL Prac 21
The Legal 500: Asia Pacific – The Client's Guide to the Asia Pacific Legal Profession
- Capital Markets: Structured Finance, Derivatives and Securitisation – Singapore: Leading Associate
"A rare rising star lawyer who poses superb technical and business knowledge beyond her level of seniority"
"Professional, responsive and sets the very best standard for herself"
"Communicates confidently"
"A pleasure to work with"
Contact Details
- d+65 6416 8226
- f+65 6532 5722
- emelissasm.tham@wongpartnership.com
Qualifications
National University of Singapore (LL.B., Hons.)
Singapore Bar