Giulia Ghiandai

Giulia Ghiandai

Senior Associate

Giulia is a financial regulatory lawyer whose practice sits at the intersection of law and financial technology.
She advises financial institutions, payment service providers and Fintech companies on a broad range of financial services regulatory matters. Her advice focuses on new product structuring and regulatory characterisation, regulatory compliance and corporate governance in the areas of payment, banking and investment services, crypto-assets regulation, consumer finance and insurance related matters. 
Giulia has gained extensive experience in counselling a range of Fintech companies and global financial institutions on the legal and regulatory treatment of their services and impacts of the legislative changes. She advised on licensing procedures before the Italian competent regulators as well as on the development of policy and contractual frameworks for offering (financial or digital) products to Italian (professional or retail / consumer) clients, the compliance with the Italian and EU regulatory regime and the tokenising of real-world assets (i.e. RWA). 
 
Giulia also regularly assists clients with “change in control” submission associated with the acquisition of control or qualified holdings in regulated entities. She provides technical expertise in the field of EU and Italian capital, prudential and liquidity requirements for banks and insurance undertakings. 
 
Beyond the client-facing practice, she has made substantial contributions to the professional and legislative discourse shaping fintech regulation in Italy and across Europe, contributing also to public consultations on the transposition in Italy of the Pilot Regulation, the MiCAR and the Travel Rule Regulation. She regularly contributes to academic writing and speaking on financial services regulatory matters.

Expertise

Industries

Published Work

  • Ghiandai Giulia, Sada Amilcare and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “Operatività del registro dei titolari effettivi: siamo infine ad un punto di svolta?”, A&O Shearman, May 2026.
  • Ghiandai Giulia and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “La Tokenizzazione dei Real World Assets”, The Signal, May 2026.
  • Ghiandai Giulia and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “CRD VI: l’Italia alza l’asticella per le banche non-UE”, AziendaBanca, February 2026.
  • Ghiandai Giulia and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “La Tokenizzazione dei fondi monetari”, Wall Street Italia, February 2026.
  • Ghiandai Giulia, Tommasi Cristiano and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “CRD VI Lands in Italy: A Snapshot of the Main Changes and Transitional Pathways”, A&O Shearman, January 2026.
  • Ghiandai Giulia and Claretta Assandri Alberto, “A New Era for Italy’s Investment Fund Toolbox – Insights into the New Draft Legislation”, A&O Shearman, October 2025.
  • Ghiandai Giulia et alia, “MiCAR under the Microscope – Part 8: White Paper vs. Prospectus”, A&O Shearman, July 2025.
  • Ghiandai. Giulia, “Distributed ledger technology: i nuovi scenari dopo il regolamento 2022/858/eu”, Altalex, 2022.
  • AA.VV., “A changing humanity. Fast - paced living as a new model of being”, Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2016.

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted to the Italian Bar, 2021

Admitted to Register of Italian Trainee Lawyer, 2017

Academic

 Law Degree, LUISS Guido Carli, Rome, 2016

Languages

Italian, English
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.