Noah Qiao

Noah Qiao is a partner in the Firm’s New York office. A seasoned legal counsel focusing on U.S. investment management regulations, Noah advises leading global private equity sponsors and crypto venture capital firms on issues ranging from investment adviser registration, fundraising, deal structuring, complex strategic transactions, to emerging financial technology integration. He is known for his commercial acumen and reliable judgment on balancing risks and has successfully guided investment advisers through numerous SEC examinations and investigations.

While Noah has a strong track record advising established global investment firms on SEC regulatory issues, he is increasingly counseling clients on uncharted regulatory challenges posed by emerging financial technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). His significant regulatory experience, combined with a deep understanding of finance and technology, uniquely qualifies him to advise clients on legal issues at the dynamic intersection of investment management and emerging financial technologies.

Crypto investment firms and their portfolio companies frequently turn to Noah for his knowledge and experience in the blockchain domain, encompassing areas such as asset tokenization, private tokenized secondaries, staking, token lending, custody, and crypto exchange. His solid grasp of the SEC regulatory priorities and distinctive financial risks in the crypto sphere enables him to offer unparalleled insights on thorny issues under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as well as anticipate future regulatory trends. Recognized for his crypto legal prowess, he serves as an advisor to many prominent web3 venture capital firms and is often called upon for counsel during significant market events.

As the adoption of machine learning and AI accelerates in investment management, clients increasingly turn to Noah for guidance on integrating transformative technologies into their investment strategies and operations while ensuring they withstand regulatory scrutiny. For instance, Noah has provided guidance on the design, training and use of machine learning within the SEC investment adviser framework. He also has experience helping investment advisers establish robust AI policies and procedures, as well as navigating novel conflicts and disclosure issues that could arise from the use of AI to facilitate investment decision-making.

Noah’s extensive experience in emerging financial technologies has not only made him a sought-after speaker at prestigious industry events like the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Summit, but also a thought leader in the field. His insights into topics such as the potential of crypto staking to enhance portfolio Sharpe ratio and the revolutionary impact of GPT in investment management have been well received by industry participants. Beyond private practice, Noah extends his experience into academia as an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School, where he distilled his real-world knowledge and experience into a course on crypto regulatory issues.