Taher Ahmed

Associate

Taher Ahmed advises international and domestic clients on the full spectrum of financial services regulatory matters. This includes investment management, compliance, prudential, governance, conduct of business, and licensing matters across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He routinely works with the world’s leading asset managers, hedge funds, and banking institutions on regulatory matters affecting their businesses in the UAE and KSA.

Taher has experience advising financial market participants on all aspects of financial services regulation in the UAE, DIFC, ADGM, and KSA. He commonly advises market participants on the regulatory framework for investment management and trade execution activities, and he has advised a number of financial institutions on a variety of topics including fund structuring, deployment of capital for specialised asset classes, regulatory hosting, prudential capital, conduct of business considerations, governance considerations, and the cross-border marketing of financial products and services into the Middle East region. Taher also has experience in regulatory licensing and authorization projects, having successfully supported and advised on the set-up and regulatory authorization of several global financial institutions who sought to establish a regulated presence in the UAE, DIFC, ADGM, and KSA.

Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Taher worked in the London and Dubai offices of two international law firms. Taher started his career at a leading US-headquartered asset management firm, covering the firm’s activities in the EMEA region as part of the legal team.

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  • Advised several global US- and UK-headquartered asset managers and hedge funds on the establishment of a Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) regulated investment management entity in the ADGM falling within prudential categories 3C and 3A
  • Advised several global US- and UK-headquartered asset managers and hedge funds on the establishment of a Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) regulated investment management entity in the DIFC falling within prudential categories 3C and 3A
  • Advised several global US- and UK-headquartered asset managers and hedge funds on the establishment of a DFSA and FSRA regulated entity in the ADGM and DIFC falling within category 4
  • Advised the asset management arm of a leading bank on the establishment of a UAE Capital Market Authority (formerly the Securities and Commodities Authority) regulated asset manager in Onshore UAE falling within categories 2 and 5
  • Advised several global asset management firms on establishing a presence in the KSA and assisted such firms with obtaining a license from the Capital Market Authority (CMA) for the following securities activities: (i) Managing Investments and Operating Funds and (ii) Advising
  • Advised several global asset managers on conducting securities business in the KSA and the regulatory framework for marketing funds cross-border
  • Advised a UK-headquartered entity on the establishment of a DFSA regulatory hosting solution in the DIFC
  • Assisted several global asset managers, banks, and investment firms with producing regulatory matrices and jurisdictional questionnaires covering cross-border marketing in the UAE (including DIFC and ADGM)
  • Advised a global consultancy firm on the regulatory perimeter in Onshore UAE, the DIFC, and the KSA as to the regulatory treatment of benchmark indices and the distribution/private placement of Ireland and Luxembourg domiciled funds (UCITS and AIFs) in the UAE, DIFC, ADGM, and KSA
  • Advised a global French banking institution on the treatment in the UAE (including DIFC and ADGM) for issuing credit-linked notes and derivatives
  • Advised several leading financial services institutions on change-in-control requirements in the ADGM and DIFC including conducting controller analyses and drafting regulatory disclosures
  • Assisted several asset managers with the review of gatekeeper disclaimers and website landing pages to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements in the DIFC, ADGM, and Onshore UAE
  • Assisted several global asset managers on the review and drafting of investment management agreements, client agreements, sub-investment management agreements, and fund management agreements for DIFC, ADGM, and Onshore UAE regulated firms
  • Advised a Hong Kong–headquartered asset manager on the set-up of an investment vehicle (Restricted Scope Company) in the ADGM and a separate investment management entity falling within category 3C in the ADGM
  • Assisted several asset management firms and hedge funds with cross-border regulatory guidance on the marketing of funds, separately managed accounts, and co-investment vehicles for the UAE regulatory regime (including the DIFC, ADGM, and Onshore UAE)
  • Advised several investment banking institutions on various contractual documentation including terms of business and subscription agreements
  • BPP University, England, 2020, LPC, with distinction
  • London School of Economics and Political Science, 2018, LL.M., specialization in banking and financial regulation, with commendation
  • University of Westminster, England, 2016, LL.B. (Hons), first class honours
  • Dubai Licensed Legal Consultant
  • England & Wales