Jonathan Garforth

Practice Areas

Jonathan Garforth established his career working with some of the world’s leading financial regulatory practitioners, initially at a leading Australian firm before joining the Magic Circle in 2010.

Before fintech was coined as a buzzword term, Jonathan was following his passion for financial innovation, pivoting away from traditional high street bank regulatory work to focus on fintech clients and their disruptive business models.

His fintech clients include digital payments and credit providers, P2P platforms, digital assets businesses, and others whose products harness blockchain technology and AI. He continues to advise banks and investors like private equity and venture capital firms on fintech and consumer finance deals.

His clients are international, with clients – particularly those from North America and Australia – turning to Jonathan for strategic advice on new product launches, regulatory change projects, M&A, and corporate finance transactions in the UK and Europe. Now at Alston & Bird, Jonathan works closely with his market-leading fintech team colleagues to serve his clients’ needs more broadly throughout the U.S.

Beyond financial regulation, Jonathan’s become a trusted advisor to his clients, who rely on him to navigate broader matters such as employment, IP, data protection, and tax, as well as regulatory breaches.