Catherine Neo

Catherine Neo is a Partner in the Financial Regulatory & Compliance Practice at Allen & Gledhill, specialising in banking and finance law, financial services regulation, and derivatives law. She advises banks, market operators, broker-dealers, fund managers, insurers, fintech firms, and other financial institutions on regulatory issues relating to the offer of financial services and products, including on a cross‑border basis, and on the financial regulatory aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and reorganisations in the financial services sector.

Catherine has assisted numerous clients seeking to establish or expand their presence in Singapore to successfully obtain requisite licences, and has helped clients secure regulatory approvals for transactions involving regulated entities and businesses, including banks, insurers, fund managers, insurance brokers, and moneylenders. She is closely involved in the preparation and maintenance of Singapore industry opinions for ISDA, ICMA, and ISLA, providing guidance on the enforceability of close‑out netting, collateral, and related issues under the ISDA Master Agreement, GMRA, and GMSLA. She also advises market participants on derivatives transactions, drafting and reviewing both industry‑standard and bespoke documentation, and providing capacity, netting, and collateral opinions.

Catherine holds an LL.B. (Hons) from the National University of Singapore (2006) and was called to the Singapore Bar in 2007. She joined Allen & Gledhill in 2006 and has been a Partner since 2014.

She is ranked for Banking & Finance: Regulatory by Chambers Asia‑Pacific, recommended for Fintech and Financial Services Regulatory by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, recognised as a Notable Practitioner for Financial Services Regulatory by IFLR1000, and Highly Recommended for Banking & Fintech – Regulatory and Recommended for Southeast Asia: Banking by Lexology Index. Clients describe her as "knowledgeable, considered, and approachable", "thorough, meticulous", "practical, solution‑oriented and approachable", and as a "reliable sounding board".