Stephen Aschettino
Stephen Aschettino is an accomplished business lawyer and trial attorney with more than 20 years of experience handling a wide variety of complex technology transactions and high-stakes litigation matters. His practice includes a particular focus on legal, business and regulatory issues impacting payments technology, including global payment systems, digital transformation and e-commerce solutions.
A payments-industry veteran and former Chief Legal Officer to a leading payments processor, Stephen is uniquely equipped to counsel financial institutions, technology companies, payment processors, merchant acquirers, ISO's/MSP's/ISV's, marketplaces, cryptocurrency issuers and exchanges, FinTech start-ups and other players in the payments space. He also works with some of the largest retailers, manufacturers, entertainment and social media companies, consumer brands, airlines, energy providers and sports franchises to develop and implement PayTech solutions.
Stephen assists clients with matters involving electronic payments, mobile wallets, prepaid cards, digital currency, blockchain technology, money transmission and related licensing issues. He has extensive experience with new product development, negotiating key sponsorship and processing agreements, structuring intercompany transactions, performing regulatory due diligence and resolving contractual disputes. Stephen regularly counsels on federal and state payments, financial and consumer regulatory issues, data
privacy and security and compliance with PCI-DSS, card-network and NACHA rules.
In addition to his payments experience, Stephen maintains a diverse business litigation practice. He has served as lead trial and appellate counsel in commercial, insurance, products liability and bankruptcy cases and has been responsible for national and regional litigation portfolios for companies in a variety of industries, including financial services, e-commerce, manufacturing and insurance. Stephen's clients have ranged from Fortune 500 to early growth companies, as well as corporate executives. He has also represented courtappointed fiduciaries in bankruptcy and other distress situations.
Stephen is widely recognized as a thought leader on payments, blockchain and cybersecurity issues. He is a frequent speaker, has published numerous articles, and has been interviewed or quoted in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, American Banker, Buzzfeed, Law360, Payments Source, The National Law Review, Payments Compliance, Inside Counsel, Transaction Trends, ISO & Agent, Investors Business Daily and SC Magazine. Stephen was recognized as one of the top five payments-industry attorneys nationwide by ISO & Agent, and he was the only attorney to serve as a judge for the 2016 and 2018 "Payments Pitch-Off" competitions at the Electronic Transactions Association's TRANSACT conferences.
Stephen is a long-standing member and supporter of the Hispanic National Bar Association and was a speaker at the 2020 Corporate Counsel Conference and Annual Convention.