Practices and Sectors

• Financial Services and Investment Funds

Profile

Cristina Vidal, with more than 20 years of experience in the sector, is a partner in the Financial Services and Investment Funds practice area, advising all kinds of financial institutions, fund managers, payment institutions and market infrastructure providers on their transactions and projects in the Iberian Peninsula.

Studies:

• 2002 — State Advocate on leave of absence.
• Degree in Law, Universidad de Valladolid.

She speaks Spanish and English.

Experience

Cristina is a State Advocate on leave of absence, having worked, among other posts, at the Spanish High Court and at the Sub-Directorate General for Litigation of the State Attorney General’s Office. Between 2010 and 2013, she was Head of the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV)’s Disputes and Sanctioning Regime Department and Deputy Secretary of the Board.

She has extensive experience in financial regulation, disciplinary proceedings and corporate governance, including rules of conduct and market abuse, as well as money laundering and terrorist financing. She advises financial institutions both on preliminary supervisory and inspection proceedings and on sanctioning procedures. She also advises investment firms, asset management companies, listed companies, public sector entities and alternative investment vehicles on regulatory frameworks, market conduct, changes of control and significant shareholdings, risk management and governance structures. She is secretary to the board of directors of listed and unlisted companies, and provides advice on corporate governance and regulatory compliance matters to listed companies and regulated entities.

Some of her professional services to clients such as financial entities, public entities, listed companies and alternative investment entities have covered matters such as:

• Registration and authorisation of entities (CNMV, BdE and ECB).
• Supervisory, investigative and inspection actions and sanctioning regime (CNMV, BdE and SEPBLAC).
• Registration of funds, especially alternative investment, closed-end vehicles and private equity.
• Establishment of unregulated alternative investment vehicles.
• Corporate and commercial transactions in the financial sector.
• Procedures for notifying the Bank of Spain and the CNMV of significant shareholdings and changes of control.
• Reviewing and drafting internal policies of regulated entities and designing and implementing action/remediation plans.
• Corporate governance linked to regulated entities and listed companies.
• Drafting specifications and monitoring selection processes for INVESTEU projects/ICO financial support.
• Acting as an expert witness in legal and arbitration proceedings relating to financial and banking matters.

Academic and publishing collaborations

Cristina is co-author of the “Manual de Derecho Administrativo Sancionador” (2005, 2009 and 2013) published by Aranzadi.

Cristina is a collaborating lecturer for courses on the CUNEF law degree.

She has also coordinated, taught and tutored various courses and internships at prestigious universities.

Recognition

Chambers Europe: Financial Services Regulation.

Professional organisations

The Madrid Bar Association (ICAM).