Spencer West South Africa to act as legal counsel to the Fintech Association of South Africa

FINASA

7 hours ago

3 min read

Johannesburg, South Africa – 19 October 2026

The South African office of International law firm Spencer West has entered into a strategic legal partnership with the Fintech Association of South Africa (FINASA) and will act as legal counsel to the association.

The partnership adds legal capacity to an advocacy programme that has grown considerably. Over the past 18 months, FINASA has been approached for industry input by South Africa’s principal financial sector regulators, and it holds memoranda of understanding across more than 45 jurisdictions in Africa. That volume of work, spanning payments, credit, digital assets and data, is what the partnership is built to support.

Calvin Christopher, Partner in Spencer West South Africa’s regulatory and compliance practice, leads the relationship. Christopher spent a decade at Standard Chartered, including six years as chief compliance officer for South Africa and Southern Africa, before joining the firm.

Danielle Lawrence, Chief Operating Officer of FINASA, said the partnership was a response to how much the association’s regulatory workload has grown.

"We have been in these conversations for years and the demand keeps increasing. In any given quarter we are responding to several regulators at once, across payments, credit, digital assets and data protection, and the questions coming to us have become more technical as the industry has matured," Lawrence said.

"At the same time our members are expanding well beyond South Africa, which means the work no longer stops at one set of rules. A position we take on behalf of the industry has to hold up in several markets, not just this one, and that is a materially bigger undertaking than it was even three years ago."

"Industry bodies run lean. Spencer West gives us the capacity to take on more of that work, to do it across the markets our members are actually operating in, and to keep pace with a regulatory agenda that is not slowing down. For our members, it means the association can be present in more of the conversations that affect them."

Calvin Christopher said the partnership reflected the role industry bodies play in helping regulation keep pace with innovation.

“Fintech regulation is developing quickly, and the most effective conversations are those that bring regulatory, commercial and industry perspectives together,” Christopher said.

“FINASA is already providing that forum for South Africa’s fintech sector, and we see an opportunity to support that work with practical legal insight drawn from both the South African market and the wider regional and international context.”

ABOUT FINASA

The Fintech Association of South Africa (FINASA) is the national industry body representing South Africa's fintech ecosystem. FINASA works with fintech companies, financial institutions, regulators, investors and ecosystem partners to advance innovation, support industry collaboration and promote financial inclusion. Through advocacy, stakeholder engagement, working groups, research and industry events, FINASA helps shape the future of financial services in South Africa.

ABOUT SPENCER WEST

In South Africa, Spencer West comprises Spencer West Inc, a law practice registered with the Legal Practice Council, and its business services division, Spencer West Consultants (Proprietary) Limited. The South Africa office opened in Sandton and forms part of a global practice spanning 25 jurisdictions, with African offices in Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius.