Robert Cain
Partner |
Dublin
+353 1 920 1050
[email protected]
Ten Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin 2
D02 T380
Ireland
Robert is a partner in our Financial Regulation practice, specialising in Irish and European financial services regulation.
Robert advises a wide range of domestic and international clients on all aspects of financial services regulation. His practice includes advice on Irish and EU authorisation and perimeter issues, ongoing compliance with conduct of business and other requirements, regulatory capital, market abuse, securities regulations, fintech and payment services, insurance and reinsurance regulation, AML, corporate governance and financial services M&A (including sales and purchases of financial assets and insurance assets). Robert also advises on regulatory enforcement action taken by the Central Bank of Ireland and European Central Bank and on industry investigations and inquiries. Robert previously worked in the Financial Regulation Group of Clifford Chance LLP in London for several years.
Relevant Experience
- Advising multiple financial institution clients on their response to Brexit, including advising on credit institution, investment firm, insurance company, asset manager, payment institution and e-money institution licence application and/or redomiciling projects in the context of Brexit
- Advising both buyers and sellers of Irish financial assets (including all categories of loan, e.g. commercial, mortgage and consumer) and coordinating regulatory due diligence on residential and commercial loan portfolio sales/purchases and securitisations
- Advising on regulatory aspects of multiple financial services M&A transactions (including on change of control notifications)
- Advising on compliance with Irish conduct of business requirements, including the MiFID Regulations 2017, the Central Bank’s client asset rules, the Irish regulations transposing the Consumer Protection Code 2012 and Minimum Competency Requirements 2017
- Advising extensively on the Central Bank’s fitness and probity regime and proposed SEAR regime
- Advising clients on responding to several recent Central Bank of Ireland enforcement cases under its administrative sanctions procedure including devising remediation plans for identified product issues.
- Advising a number of clients on Tier one and Tier two capital transactions
- Advising clients on corporate governance and systems and controls, including in relation to complex outsourcing arrangements
- Advising numerous clients on the implementation of recent legislation and regulatory requirements, including MiFID II, PSD II, Solvency II, the Consumer Credit Directive, the Code of Conduct on Mortgage Arrears, the Corporate Governance Code for Credit Institutions and for Insurers, the SME Regulations 2015 and the Consumer Insurance Contracts Act
- Advising clients on regulatory aspects of commercial contracts, including insurance distribution arrangements (white labelling/innovative platforms)
Insights Blog
Fitness and Probity: Central Bank consults on updating F&P Standards, and revising list of PCFs
16/04/2025
Insights blog
SEAR Compliance: What happens next?
02/04/2025
Insights blog
IAF/SEAR Update: Business Standards Regulations published (effective 24 March 2026)
25/03/2025
Insights blog
CPC and Standards for Business: Central Bank launches two sets of regulations (to apply from 24 March 2026)
24/03/2025
Insights blog
A Practitioner’s Guide to IT Outsourcing – A Review of Risk and Reliance
19/03/2025
Insights blog
A Practitioner’s Guide to IT Outsourcing – When Things go Wrong
12/03/2025
Insights blog
Related Content
Global Banking & Markets: Saudi Arabia 2025
16/01/2025
Events
Bank of Cyprus Holdings plc: Listing on Athens Stock Exchange (ATHEX)
25/09/2024
Deals
Fitness & Probity: Looking ahead to the independent review of the Central Bank’s approval process
13/03/2024
Briefing
Arthur Cox sponsors AFME Annual European Compliance and Legal Conference 2023
20/06/2023
News
The Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Act 2023 signed into Law
10/03/2023
Briefing
Individual Accountability Framework: Bill finalised
23/02/2023
Briefing
Senior Executive Accountability Regime: In conversation with Gerry Cross Director of Financial Regulation Policy and Risk in the Central Bank of Ireland
24/06/2022
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TransferMate $70 million Funding Round
23/05/2022
Deals
Permanent TSB plc acquisition of elements of Ulster Bank business
22/12/2021
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Further Global Capital Management acquisition of AA Ireland group
02/10/2020
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Arthur Cox contributes to ICLG Fintech 2022
09/08/2022
Publication
The Central Bank (Individual Accountability Framework) Bill 2022
08/08/2022
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Financial Regulation Podcast Series: Ep 1 Trends and Priorities for 2022
03/03/2022
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Central Bank of Ireland sharpens focus on operational resilience
01/02/2022
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E-Money Institutions and Payment Institutions: Central Bank confirms its supervisory expectations
28/01/2022
Briefing
Insurance Reform: Minister for Finance publishes General Scheme of the Insurance (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill
29/10/2021
Briefing
SEAR/Individual Accountability: Proposed Privilege “Safe Harbour”
28/09/2021
Briefing
SEAR/Individual Accountability: Proposed Changes to the Central Bank’s Administrative Sanctions Procedure
27/08/2021
Briefing
SEAR/Individual Accountability: Minister for Finance publishes General Scheme of Bill
28/07/2021
Briefing
Central Bank Publishes Final Report on Differential Pricing in the Motor and Home Insurance Market
26/07/2021
Briefing
NPL Update: Central Bank wants “meaningful progress” on long-term PDH mortgage arrears
21/07/2021
Briefing
SEAR: Draft legislation expected shortly
09/07/2021
Briefing
NPL Update: Scope of Credit Servicing Directive agreed
08/07/2021
Briefing
Investment Firms Update: New prudential regime applies to MiFID investment firms across the EU
30/06/2021
Briefing
Regulatory Horizon-Scanning: Central Bank priorities for the rest of 2021
03/06/2021
Briefing
AML Update: Express Trusts and Beneficial Ownership – Welcome Clarity
28/05/2021
Briefing
AML Update: Crypto-Assets – VASPs must register with Central Bank
05/05/2021
Briefing
Outsourcing: Registers and Outsourcing Policies – Key points from the Central Bank’s draft cross-industry guidance
27/04/2021
Briefing
Arthur Cox Q&A: MLD5 Transposition and AML Horizon-Scanning
14/04/2021
Briefing
Outsourcing: Contractual Requirements – Key points from the Central Bank’s draft cross-industry guidance
12/04/2021
Briefing
Outsourcing: Risk Assessments and Due Diligence – Key points from the Central Bank’s draft cross-industry guidance
01/04/2021
Briefing
NPL Update
26/03/2021
Briefing
Outsourcing: Governance and Monitoring – Key points from the Central Bank’s draft cross-industry guidance
18/03/2021
Briefing
Outsourcing: Central Bank consults on draft cross-industry guidance for regulated firms
05/03/2021
Briefing
Much Ado about Crypto – the Draft EU Crypto-Assets Regulation
25/02/2021
Briefing
Business Interruption Insurance Series: Analysis of Court’s decision in publicans’ business interruption test cases against FBD
15/02/2021
Briefing
The Arthur Cox Regulatory Investigations Review – The Year Ahead
04/02/2021
Podcast
Investment Firms: New prudential rules will apply from 26 June 2021
25/01/2021
Briefing
Digital operational resilience – proposed EU legislation heralds significant change for financial entities and ICT service providers
13/01/2021
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AML Update: Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Companies goes live
31/07/2019
Briefing
Mortgage Arrears: Government-sponsored version of ‘Keeping People in their Homes Bill’ passed by Oireachtas
05/07/2019
Briefing
Senior Executive Accountability Regime – Work begins on draft legislation
21/06/2019
Briefing
Retail Clients: Central Bank to restrict sale of CFDs and ban binary options
14/06/2019
Briefing
Accountability for Senior Executives – Update on Central Bank Proposals
17/05/2019
Briefing
Fitness and Probity: Central Bank ‘Dear CEO’ Letter
18/04/2019
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AML Update: Beneficial Ownership of Corporates
17/04/2019
Briefing
Settlement Finality: Ireland will implement Recital 7 on a ‘no-deal’ Brexit
04/03/2019
Briefing
Crowdfunding: Domestic regulatory regime now likely
01/03/2019
Briefing
Express Trusts: Trustees must now set up Beneficial Ownership Registers
25/02/2019
Briefing
AML Update: Do you need to register with the Central Bank?
16/11/2018
Briefing
AML Update: New Irish Act comes into force
11/11/2018
Briefing
What you need to know about the new EU Securitisation Regulation
15/10/2018
Briefing
Simple, Transparent and Standardised (STS) Securitisations: What you need to know
15/10/2018
Briefing
AML Update: MLD5 published in Official Journal; new time-frames confirmed
15/06/2018
Briefing
AML Update: MLD5 published in Official Journal; new time-frames confirmed
03/06/2018
Briefing
AML Update: Bill transposing MLD4 published
25/05/2018
Briefing
AML Update: MLD5 (which will amend the MLD4 rules on beneficial ownership) has been agreed
20/05/2018
Briefing
AML Update: MLD5 (which will amend the MLD4 rules on beneficial ownership) has been agreed
12/05/2018
Briefing
Regulator places itself at the hub of FinTech innovation in Ireland
04/05/2018
Briefing
Crowdfunding Update: European Commission proposal awaited; Department of Finance publishes Feedback Statement
10/01/2018
Briefing