Ross Handler

Ross Handler provides legal guidance to a broad spectrum of clients—from early-stage startups to established public companies and banks —including fintech companies, merchants, marketplaces, big tech firms, and regulated financial institutions across payments, lending, embedded finance, and digital asset verticals. He offers regulatory insights that help clients develop and market products, as well as obtain necessary state and federal licenses. 

Ross advises clients on complex regulatory compliance challenges and negotiates a wide range of agreements and strategic partnerships to facilitate the launch of innovative payment products and services. His experience includes structuring incentive arrangements between merchants and card networks, drafting and negotiating bank partnership agreements, and co-branding credit card agreements and payment processing agreements for global retailers. Ross counsels clients through the full lifecycle of state licensing, including money transmitter license applications, ongoing compliance obligations, and change-of-control processes arising from M&A involving licensed entities. 

Ross advises on the regulatory frameworks governing a broad range of innovating financial products, including buy-now, pay-later structures, earned wage access programs and services, prepaid card programs, and co-branded and private-label credit offerings. He counsels clients on regulatory compliance with the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Regulation E), the Truth in Lending Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, UDAAP standards, and ACH/NACHA rules and card network requirements. 

Ross counsels clients on topics including marketplace payment solutions, social media and video game monetization strategies, in-application virtual currencies, loyalty and rewards programs and initiatives, and other in-application payment mechanisms and user flows. He also provides regulatory guidance on payment structures such as gift cards, stored values, payroll systems, and payment processing systems, digital wallet frameworks, real-time payment systems, and embedded finance solutions. Ross further advises on the legal and regulatory dimensions of AI in financial services, helping clients assess compliance, liability, and consumer protection considerations as these technologies continue to evolve. 

Ross supports clients on regulatory, licensing, and compliance matters involving digital assets and blockchain-based payment systems, including money transmission licensing for platforms with crypto functionality, AML/BSA program requirements, and FinCEN registration obligations. He provides both regulatory guidance and practical go-to-market advice on stablecoin payment integrations, crypto-backed lending constructs, and the application of consumer protection frameworks to digital asset products and services. 

Ross’s in-house experience includes serving as seconded counsel to a global payment facilitator, where he supported the payments risk legal and money movement services and payouts groups. In this role, he worked closely with platform users to support the rollout of new customer-facing payment products and services. 

Ross is a trusted counselor to leading technology companies, helping them develop effective regulatory and compliance strategies. He is a frequent speaker and author on payments-related topics, having presented at prominent industry events such as the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section meeting and the Credit Card Bank Compliance Association’s annual meeting. Ross currently serves as the vice chair of the Deposit Products and Payment Systems Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section. 

In addition to his professional practice, Ross is dedicated to pro bono work and community service. He represents clients in matters including landlord-tenant disputes, parole hearings, asylum claims, and name and gender change filings. He serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Muhlenberg College, and  chaired AARP’s Legal Counsel for the Elderly’s Young Lawyers Alliance.