Dan Hyde

Dan brings extensive regulatory experience advising regulated entities and startups on their obligations under FCA rules, financial promotions, change of control procedures, and the structuring of financial products to comply with legal mandates.

• Advised a credit broking startup on the scope of activities it could undertake, compliance with the financial promotions regime, and the structuring of a proposed employee share option scheme to render it permissible.
• Advised a Dubai-based agri-tech venture on its proposed UK fundraising initiative and the financial promotions regime.
• Acted for a significant FCA-regulated corporate on its change of control and sale of its financial services business to include obtaining all necessary authorisations.
• Advised a fintech on its proposed share issue and option schemes, to include advice as to their structure and application of the FCA rules.

Dan advises on AML compliance, asset recovery, sanctions navigation, and responses to fraud-related investigations. He is experienced in leading internal investigations and advising corporates on suspected insider dealing, market abuse, and regulatory coordination.

• Advised a corporate administrator of a complex joint venture investment structure between two major countries, one of which is subject to complex sectoral economic sanctions. The structure involved a number of entities across a number of jurisdictions. Provided ongoing sanctions and AML advice on proposed transactions, in addition to responding to regulatory queries.
• Advised a diamond mining company during an investigation to ascertain whether it held proceeds of crime/funds derived from bribery and corruption.
• Acted for claimants who sought to recover proceeds of their investment in a crypto investment scheme to include obtaining worldwide freezing orders as well as orders in the BVI for the recovery of their invested funds.
• Advised on suspected insider dealing and market abuse by senior staff and officers at a national food retailer, conducted interviews and managed the internal investigation, liaised with the HR teams on the disciplinary dismissal process and with the FCA regarding the insider trading prosecution.

Dan acts in complex domestic and cross-border disputes, with expertise in data protection, fraud, cybercrime, and asset recovery, including securing worldwide freezing and disclosure orders in high-value litigation.

• Acted on behalf of a claimant pursuing claims under the Data Protection Act, misuse of information and breach of confidence in relation to the misuse of her personal data and private information after she gave confidential evidence to various UK police forces.
• Acted for claimants who sought to recover proceeds of their investment in a crypto investment scheme to include obtaining worldwide freezing orders as well as orders in the BVI for the recovery of their invested funds.
• Acted for a corporate in successfully defending a group action brought by customers alleging their confidential personal information including credit card and financial data had been compromised following a cyber-attack on third-party merchants connected to the client.
• Acted for a Libyan incorporated commercial airline in pursuing recovery action following a cyber-attack and consequent push fraud to divert payment for jet repairs to a cybercriminal. Obtained disclosure and freezing orders and identified the perpetrator.
• Acted for a Hong Kong-based company to recover sums due to it for the supply of designer perfumes after the defendant company was allegedly the victim of a man-in-the middle cyber-attack that resulted in the funds being diverted to the perpetrators’ bank account.

Dan advises startups, corporates, and investors across blockchain, NFT, tokenised assets, and metaverse ecosystems. He provides strategic guidance on structuring, cross-border compliance, IP rights, and digital asset strategies.

• Advised a gaming company on structuring and compliance for an NFT / blockchain-based virtual football game and token offering, including IP issues around image rights.
• Advised a cross-border digital commodity trading platform on regulatory compliance while preserving commercial integrity.
• Advised an NFT whale (Nfty 50) on metaverse virtual property acquisition and sale strategy.

Dan supports organisations in navigating cybersecurity risks, breach preparedness, risk assessments and post-incident strategies, as well as complex cyber-attack litigation and recovery actions for clients across sectors, securing freezing orders, regulatory support and claims defence in high-value and cross-border digital fraud scenarios.

• Acted for a global corporate in relation to a significant cyber-attack, assisted with its breach response, risk assessment, regulator, customer and third-party notifications and post-breach remedial actions.
• Acted for a corporate in successfully defending a group action brought by customers alleging their confidential personal information including credit card and financial data had been compromised following a cyber-attack on third-party merchants connected to the client.
• Acted for a Libyan incorporated commercial airline in pursuing recovery action following a cyber-attack and consequent push fraud to divert payment for jet repairs to a cybercriminal. Obtained disclosure and freezing orders and identified the perpetrator.
• Acted for a Hong Kong-based company to recover sums due to it for the supply of designer perfumes after the defendant company was allegedly the victim of a man-in-the middle cyber-attack that resulted in the funds being diverted to the perpetrators’ bank account.

Dan advises clients on UK and international compliance and regulatory obligations, with expertise spanning financial services, fiduciary structures, payments and e-money, data protection, and information security. He also advises emerging tech companies implications of AI, analytics, and hardware systems, including international trade, sanctions compliance and risk around evolving technological frontiers.

• Conducted an internal review of a fiduciary company’s AML risk-based systems and controls.
• Acted for a claimant in litigation under the Data Protection Act, including claims for misuse of information and breach of confidence.
• Advised a global blue-chip tech business in the hospitality and events sector on FCA rules, Payment Services Regulations, and Electronic Money Regulations in connection with partnerships with payment providers.
• Advised a tech business on its AI-powered construction analytics platform and whether the software or hardware that it uses to deliver services to clients was compliant with export restrictions or could be caught within the scope of the sanction regime.

Dan provides regulatory and transactional counsel across the financial services lifecycle, from startup to exit, including licensing, authorisations, strategic partnerships and regulator engagement across the UK and internationally.

• Advised a UK-based tech venture on its global trading platform algorithm on legal and regulatory issues impacting their business model.
• Advised the corporate purchaser of a challenger bank, ensuring the appropriate authorisations and consents were in place and that the online financial services provided all the requisite information and customer notices and that the regulators were aligned.
• Advised a startup on its online credit-broking and price-comparison platform to connect suitable investors with developers seeking funding for commercial projects. Advised on the range of proposed activity, the applicability of FCA consumer and investment regulations as well as revising online content.

Recognised by the Legal 500 for Fintech: Corporate & Commercial 2026

Recognised by the Legal 500 2025 for Fintech: Regulatory

Appointed Visiting Professor, School of Law, Queen Mary University of London

Appointed Cyber Business Coach-Mentor, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School

Appointed Mentor, Changemakers Programme, Homerton College, University of Cambridge

Appointed Coach-Mentor, Barclays Eagle Labs

Appointed Judge and Evaluator at the Hague International Court for the Grand Slam Moots 2020–2023

Former Publications Officer for the International Bar Association

Authored the first UK published book Cyber Security: Law and Practice  (Jordans & Lexis Nexis, 2017)

Authored the first UK/US and European published book Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: International Legal and Regulatory Challenges (Bloomsbury, July 2019)

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency and the Laws of the Metaverse (second edition, Bloomsbury 2022)

Cybersecurity Law and Practice (edition 2, Lexis Nexis, September 2019)

Modern Financial Regulation (Jordans, 2013)

Managing Cyber Security Risk (editions 1, 2 & 3, Legend Press)

Introduction to Data Protection Law (in partnership with Lexis Nexis) (August 2019)

Co-founder of CyberCounsel At Law; speaker/trainer (GDPR, Cybersecurity, Corporate Crime) for RICS, ITIC, Lexis Nexis, MBL & Bloomsbury

Presenter/producer of MBL Cybercrime webinar and test and Lexis Nexis Corporate Crime in-house compliance training webinar and certification tests

Authored Lexis Nexis PSL online practice notes for GDPR, Data Protection Act 2018, Malicious Communications Offences, Cross Border Criminal Investigations and Computer Misuse Offences