Gabriella Savastano | Partner
CMS

Gabriella Savastano is a Partner in the financial services regulatory practice with over 15 years’ experience advising international and domestic clients on the full spectrum of UAE financial services regulation, including licensing, conduct of business, regulatory compliance, financial crime and contentious regulatory matters. Gabriella is recognised as a leading specialist in the UAE market, advising on complex and first-to-market mandates across both traditional financial services and digital assets. She is regularly engaged on strategic projects involving regulatory structuring, market entry and product innovation, and has advised on a number of landmark transactions, including the Brookfield Asset Management acquisition of Network International and the first UAE REIT listing with Dubai Holding, where she advised on the new funds’ framework under the securities regulator. Gabriella is closely engaged with regional regulators, including providing thought leadership and market insight to the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority and the Dubai Financial Services Authority on emerging regulatory frameworks, particularly in the digital assets space. Her career also includes working eight years as senior legal counsel at a leading international investment bank where she was responsible for regulatory reform projects. Since joining CMS, Gabriella has demonstrated strong client following and market traction, with a number of key clients transitioning with her and continuing to instruct her on strategically important mandates. Gabriella’s strong in-house experience uniquely places her to assist clients on regulatory matters as she has a deep understanding on the issues many clients face internally.