Ross T. Handler

Ross Handler provides comprehensive legal guidance to a broad spectrum of clients, including fintech companies, merchants, marketplaces, big tech firms, and regulated financial institutions. Drawing on extensive experience in financial services regulation and transaction work, Ross offers practical regulatory insights that helps clients with developing and marketing products, as well as obtaining necessary state and federal licenses.

Ross advises clients on navigating complex regulatory compliance challenges and negotiates a wide range of agreements and strategic partnerships to facilitate the launch of innovative payment products and services. His experience includes structuring incentive arrangements between merchants and card networks, drafting and negotiating bank partnership agreements, co-branding credit card agreements, and payment processing agreements for global retailers. He has effectively and successfully assisted clients with navigating the application and ongoing compliance procedures for state money transmitter licenses, as well as consumer and commercial credit licenses.

Ross regularly counsels clients on topics including marketplace payment solutions, social media and video game monetization strategies, in-application virtual currencies, loyalty and rewards programs and initiatives, and other in-application payment mechanisms and user flows. Ross also provides regulatory guidance on payment structures such as gift cards, stored values, payroll systems, and payment processing systems.

Ross’s in-house experience includes serving as seconded counsel to a global payment facilitator, where he supported the payments risk legal and money movement services and payouts groups. In this role, he worked closely with platform users to support the rollout of new customer-facing payments products and services.

Recognized as “One to Watch” in fintech and payments law by Best Lawyers, Ross is a trusted advisor to leading technology companies, helping them develop effective regulatory and compliance strategies. He is a frequent speaker and author on payments-related topics, having presented at prominent industry events such as the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section meeting and the Credit Card Bank Compliance Association’s annual meeting. Ross currently serves as the vice chair of the Deposit Products and Payment Systems Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section.   

In addition to his professional practice, Ross is dedicated to pro bono work and community service. He represents clients in matters including landlord-tenant disputes, parole hearings, asylum claims, and name and gender change filings. He serves on the board of trustees of his alma mater, Muhlenberg College and also chairs the Legal Counsel for the Elderly’s Young Lawyers Alliance.