Aaron Unterman

Aaron is a resident of the Cayman Islands and a lawyer admitted to the Ontario (Canada) bar. He is a Professional Director in the Cayman Islands registered pursuant to the Directors Registration and Licensing Act. Aaron has a background in virtual assets, investment funds, derivatives, and structured finance and has over 18 years’ experience in the finance industry. Aaron provides directorship services in the Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands with a focus on Web3, regulated virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and funds. Prior to joining IMS, Aaron was the managing director of XReg Consulting SEZC, a regulatory consulting firm specializing in virtual assets. At XReg, Aaron worked with a range of leading crypto and Web3 firms, providing governance, structuring and licensing advice, and support. Before that, Aaron served as the Deputy Head of the Policy and Development Division at the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). At CIMA, he led policy development for VASPs, investment funds, securities, and structured finance sectors, including CIMA’s regulatory framework for VASPs, rules on corporate governance and internal controls, and AML requirements for structured finance issuances. He also provided expertise on the registration and licensing of VASPs. Prior to joining CIMA, Aaron was senior legal counsel in the derivatives branch of Canada’s largest market regulator, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), and led a range of policy making initiatives including implementing Canada’s G-20 regulatory reform commitments by creating a framework for the regulation of OTC derivatives and advising on the regulation of crypto derivatives, platforms and issuances. During his OSC career, Aaron was actively involved with international organisations including the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and representing the OSC as co-chair of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) Task Force on Derivatives. Aaron began his career as a banking and financial services lawyer at the leading Canadian law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP where he specialised in derivatives, securitisation, and syndicated lending.