Headed by Dr Michael Muscat, our advisory department combines legal, commercial and practical reasoning to solve client issues. We understand that the legal landscape can be complex and challenging and that’s why we prioritise pragmatism and constantly aim to simplify and demystify.
Whether you are heading into a regulated market, innovating in the technology space, or rolling out the next phase of your business, we disassemble big issues to make them smaller, understandable, and easy to solve, walking you through every step of the process with us, until we achieve the desired result.
Our team of dynamic and experienced professionals merge deep legal knowledge with a keen understanding of the business world, enabling us to deliver solutions that are not only legally sound but also commercially viable.
Helix Advisory
Some of the services we offer
Igaming
Sterling industry knowledge from both a commercial and legal perspective having worked with top suppliers and operators
New Markets & Expansion
We help you navigate new markets in multiple jurisdictions, with our international mindset and positioning
Intellectual property
Ask us how we can assist in protecting your IP assets
Fintech
Payments, digital currencies, exchanges. We work with fintechs from a legal,regulatory and commercial standpoint
Compliance (Technical & Regulatory)
We can assist with your software certification, handle the entire technical process and assist generally with regulatory and tech compliance
General legal services
We act as outsourced counsel to assist with all your day to day legal requirements
Igaming
We are gaming specialists, and this is the foundation of our practice.
We have worked with startups and top tier multinationals, obtaining licences, advising on corporate strategy, and assisting with legal and commercial issues, from new product launches to expansion within new markets, we have been involved in a multitude of practical scenarios where our team has directly affected outcomes and advised on each integral step.
Licensing
We can obtain Business to Business and Business to Consumer licences in the primary and alternative gaming markets and have built strong relationships with regulators across the globe. We are aware of regulations in different jurisdictions and can assist with the entire licensing process in:
- Malta
- Curacao
- Isle of Man (via third party partners)
- Gibraltar (via third party partners)
- Colombia
- Argentina
- Romania (via third party partners)
We are also able to take on various key roles and can provide on-going advisory services related to an i-gaming licence once this is obtained. We will remain a bridge between you and the regulator in each given jurisdiction, handling all your regulatory requirements. We provide advice as regards the corporate arrangement of your multinational business, placing products and services in different jurisdictions in order to optimise your business affairs and manage the relevant risks.
Regulatory Compliance
With a sound understanding of how regulated markets work, we provide our clients with peace of mind by handling regulated matters on an on-going basis. We have worked with entities and regulators over the years to be able to understand the required approach in different markets and scenarios. We make our clients regulatory issues our own and maintain dialogue between private enterprise and regulators, in order to ensure that a compliance culture is fostered within your organisation. Our regulatory compliance services
include:
- Drafting and implementation of required policies and procedures
- Key Compliance Role (outsourced)
- Maintaining all communication between regulators entities
- Handling regulatory filings on an on-going basis
- Compliance advisory services
Technical Compliance
Whether you are an operator, platform or slot provider, we are able to assist you with the various technical requirements in different markets and advise you on technical regulations and compliance.
We review your products and services in terms of different laws In order to perform regulatory gap analyses and assist you to certify, launch and operate in different markets. We have strong relationships with the different certification labs and can assist you with the entire certification and licensing process.
Once these are obtained, we advise on technical compliance issues to ensure that your offering always fits within the parameters of the applicable laws and regulations.
Transactional-MA
Our multidisciplinary approach combined with sound practical reasoning makes us ideal advisory partners when executing a major transaction such as a sale, merger, or acquisition. This really is where our boutique nature and personal understanding of your business shines through.
We work with you to structure your transaction in the most efficient manner, eliminating over complicated procedures and bureaucracy to provide simplified and lean solutions. We understand that in such scenarios, time is of the essence but a thorough understanding of all the moving parts is required.
We carry out all the due diligence and structure the transaction to get the deal done. We assist from the negotiation stage until final execution, providing an understanding of the legal, commercial, and financial issues at play to execute in a timely and organised manner, leaving no stone unturned.
New Markets and Expansion
We assist gambling companies to reach new markets and territories, with our multijurisdictional approach. Having partners on the ground in emerging markets, and also being experienced in new markets such as LATAM (Latin America), we are able to provide you with the relevant advice and services in order to launch your products or expand your i- gaming services further. Our capabilities include:
- Market Strategies
- Business Intelligence
- Marketing Advisory Services (via third party partners)
- Product/Services expansion (per jurisdiction)
- Advisory on target acquisitions/ introductions
Intellectual Property
Whether gaming or tech related , we advise on ownership and structuring of relevant intellectual property in the European Union and internationally. Our team has knowledge of the treaties, regulations and directives in order to assist you with the registration of your trademarks and/or patents.
We also advise as to how to structure the ownership of your IP in order to be well prepared for transactions related thereto and the scaled commercialisation thereof.
Fintech
The word of finance is ever changing, becoming more dynamic and democratised by technology. Malta is a financial services hub, pioneering the development and drive of technology based financial services. A European Union jurisdiction harnessing the power of newly implemented international legislation, such as the Payment Services Directive (2), Malta has positioned itself as one of the major regulated markets for financial services. A multitude of fintechs are present In Malta. Helix Advisory services the fintech industry and has obtained licenses for e-money institutions, payment gateways, trading platforms and similar businesses in Malta.
Licensing:
We focus primarily on the licensing of payment and e-money institutions in Malta, enabling such to base their operations in Malta and passport their services across the European Union. We act as a point of contact between your enterprise and the Malta Financial Services Authority in order to enable you to licence your operations and establish your company in Malta.
We provide the following services:
- Incorporation of relevant entities and provision of directors (via a third party partner)
- Introduction to regulator
- Assistance with the relevant Personal Questionnaires.
- Drafting of Letter of Intent and submission to regulator.
- Drafting and assistance with entire licence application
- Provision of outsourced Key Services- Compliance- MLRO
Compliance (Technical Regulatory)
Once your entity is licensed and operative, we assist with the implementation of all policies and procedures from a compliance perspective, to ensure compliance within your organisation across the board.
Having thorough knowledge of all the Standard Licence Conditions, and constant and open communication with the regulator, we advise your team on all compliance issues and ensure that your licensed entity is continuously abiding by the regulations.
Helix Advisory is also aware of all the technical requirements to ensure that your software operates in terms thereof. Whether your payment platform is created in house or on an outsourced basis, we advise on all technical compliance matters related thereto.
General Legal Services
Also, independent of which market/industry you operate in, we are able to provide a number of product agnostic legal services which include:
- General Legal Advisory Services
- Personal Legal Advisory Services
- Personal Relocation Advisory Services
- Contract Reviews
- Business Structuring
- Transactional Advisory and Structuring Services