Samir Safar-Aly

Samir Safar-Aly has a diverse work experience in the legal field. Samir is currently working at Baker McKenzie as the Financial Regulatory, Compliance & Investigations Counsel for the MENA region, where they provide expertise in fintech, AI, financial crime, sanctions, investigations, and compliance. Samir also advises both private and public sectors on governmental policy and legal & regulatory reform.

Samir is also involved in the MENA FinTech Association as the Chair of the Policy & Regulations Working Group. In this role, they advocate for the development of laws, regulations, policies, and guidance with regulatory authorities across the MENA region.

Prior to these roles, Samir has worked as a Senior Consultant at Peerpoint and as a Senior Associate at both White & Case LLP and Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla. In these positions, they focused on financial regulatory matters, including crypto, fintech, cybersecurity, AI, AML, anti-bribery and corruption, and sanctions.

Samir's earlier experiences include working as a Supervising Associate and Associate at Simmons & Simmons, where they provided advice on financial services regulation and cross-border marketing across the GCC. Samir also worked as a Trainee Solicitor at Ashurst, handling M&A transactions for FTSE-100 and FTSE-250 companies.

Furthermore, Samir gained experience as a Legal Intern at Zhong Lun Law Firm, where they worked on corporate, offshore finance, double-taxation, and intellectual property matters. Samir conducted jurisdictional research on infrastructure projects between Chinese state-owned entities and African governments.

At the start of their career, Samir had a summer vacation placement at Vinson and Elkins, where they conducted research on oil & gas law issues and assisted in civil law research for arbitration cases related to oil and gas disputes in the Middle East and North Africa.

Samir Safar-Aly's education history is as follows:

- In 1998-2005, they attended Canon Palmer Catholic School where they obtained their GCSEs and A-Levels, focusing on Biology, History, and Government & Politics (ABB).

- In 2005-2008, they studied at the University of Kent and earned their LL.B (Hons) degree in Law.

- In 2006, they attended Harvard University for a brief period, studying Intellectual Property and Political Philosophy.

- In 2007, they participated in courses at The American University in Cairo, focusing on International Oil & Gas Law, International Trade Law, and Islamic Jurisprudence.

- In 2008, they studied International Business Transactions with Chinese Characteristics at Soochow University in China.

- In the same year, they also obtained a Summer School Certificate in Islamic Finance from Durham University.

- From 2010 to 2011, they attended the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law, earning an LL.M degree in Business Law / Energy Law with a GPA of 3.77/4.00 (Magna Cum Laude equiv.).

- In 2018-2020, they pursued International Nuclear Law at the University of Montpellier and obtained a Diplôme d’Université - D.U. with the highest honors (Very Good - Highest Honours).

- Currently, they are studying Cryptocurrency at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

- Samir has also obtained several additional certifications and participated in various training programs, including courses in Artificial Intelligence, Coding for Lawyers (Python, Blockchain, Cyber Security & Machine Learning), Space Law and Regulations, and Anti-Bribery and Corruption Studies, among others.