José Manuel Novo

As General Counsel of the PayRetailers Group, I oversaw global legal, compliance, regulatory, and legal risk matters for one of the leading payment service providers in Latin America. With over three years in this role, I have played a key part in guiding structured rapid growth, leading global legal and compliance supervision for payment services, e-money, AML/CTF, and cross-border transactions across more than 10 countries. I advise on regulatory frameworks and legal risks inherent to our operations and lead a team of 11 lawyers. Key contributions include:

Led a legal team of 6 lawyers. Responsibilities included legal and compliance risk advisory in the consumer lending sector, and coordination with external advisors (tax, labour, regulatory, etc.) across Brazil, Mexico, Spain, and Poland. Oversaw AML policies and the Corporate Crime Prevention System. Provided corporate legal advice to shareholders and directors, including on corporate transactions and restructuring. Served as Secretary to the Board of Directors, subject to approval by the Bank of Spain. Highlights:

Structured securitization vehicles for consumer loans in Brazil and Mexico.

Issued EUR 40 million in bonds on the Frankfurt Alternative Market during COVID, following a corporate restructuring of the issuing entity.

Prepared the EMI license application dossier for submission to the Bank of Spain.

Advised international and domestic clients on company formation and investments in Spain and third countries, legal requirements, and regulatory aspects. Drafted commercial contracts, handled legal inquiries, pre-litigation, and corporate negotiations. Managed corporate changes and restructuring. Acted as corporate secretary. Drafted, reviewed, and negotiated documentation for acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, and asset purchases. Led legal audits, legal research, and prepared legal memoranda.