Harly Zappino

Harly is the Founder and Managing Partner of Neo Legal, the group's UAE legal practice, and leads Neo Finance's client relationships where accounting sits alongside corporate, family office and transactional work.

His corporate and M&A practice covers entity establishment across UAE free zones, mainland, DIFC and ADGM; shareholder and joint-venture documentation; capital raisings; and the full M&A transaction lifecycle. He has advised on transactions exceeding USD 1.4 billion in aggregate value. On the family office and private wealth side, he advises ultra-high-net-worth principals and family groups on DIFC and ADGM family office establishment, foundations and trusts, succession planning and the integration of UAE Corporate Tax with wealth structuring.

He has practised in the digital asset space continuously since 2015, has personally advised over 1,000 clients across cryptocurrency, exchanges, tokenisation, custody and payment services, and led the world's first cryptocurrency IPO. He is a Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year 2022 Finalist for Technology Partner of the Year and a Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 2023 Finalist.

For Neo Finance clients, Harly is the point of contact where the accounting question turns out to be a structuring question — which, for family offices and groups, it frequently does.

Focus areas

• Group leadership
• Family office & UHNW
• Corporate & M&A
• Virtual assets
• Cross-border structuring

Languages

• English

Background

• Founder & Managing Partner — Neo group
• Transactions exceeding USD 1.4 billion in aggregate value
• Led the world's first cryptocurrency IPO
• Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year 2022 — Finalist, Technology Partner of the Year
• Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 2023 — Finalist