Founder & Managing Partner, Esquare Legal · Partner, Tahota Law Firm
Cross-Border Legal Counsel · Web3, FinTech & Digital Assets
18 years building the legal and compliance architecture that lets ambitious companies operate across borders, navigate regulators, and execute without slowing down.
Who He Is
Safi Ghauri is the Founder and Managing Partner of Esquare Legal, a crypto-native law firm advising Web3, fintech, and emerging-technology companies across MENA, EU, LATAM, and Asia. He is a Partner at Tahota Law Firm.
A Barrister-at-Law called to Lincoln’s Inn, London, he read law at the University of London and began his career at Clyde & Co LLP in London. Over 18 years, his practice has spanned digital asset licensing across more than 15 jurisdictions, legal architecture for tokenisation platforms and blockchain ecosystems, landmark regulatory firsts, large-scale cross-border infrastructure transactions, and compliance leadership at some of the region’s earliest regulated crypto exchanges. He publishes peer-reviewed research, contributes to international policy forums, and is a regular speaker at major global conferences on digital assets and cross-border regulation.
He is based in São Paulo, Brazil.
What He Does
Safi advises founders, investors, and institutions who need senior legal and compliance counsel with real execution capability — not a retainer reviewing documents from the outside.
His work covers the full stack:
Regulatory strategy and licensing across VARA, ADGM, DIFC, MiCA, FCA, SEC/CFTC, FinCEN, PVARA (Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority), BCB (Banco Central do Brasil), and offshore frameworks — application strategy, compliance framework development, operational policies, and regulatory submissions globally.
Compliance architecture — KYC/KYB/AML program design, FATF Travel Rule, transaction monitoring, sanctions screening, and audit-ready documentation aligned with SOC2 and regulatory expectations.
Token and Web3 legal infrastructure — token governance and launch, RWA tokenisation structures, securities compliance assessment, DeFi risk positioning, DAO structuring, and exchange onboarding.
Cross-border structuring and transactions — entity structuring, fundraising legal readiness, commercial negotiations, M&A support, and partner agreements.
Engagements range from embedded fractional GC mandates to discrete project work.
Credentials
Barrister-at-Law · Lincoln’s Inn, London · BVC 2006–2007
LLM · City St George’s, University of London · 2008–2009
LLB (Hons) · University of London · 2003–2006
Clyde & Co LLP — Associate, London · 2008–2009
Esquare Legal — Founder & Managing Partner · 2009–present
Tahota Law Firm — Partner, MENAP
One of the world’s largest law firms by headcount, with 4,000+ practitioners across 30+ global offices. Ranked in the Global 200, and recognised by Chambers, Legal 500, ALB, IFLR 1000, and the China Business Law Journal.
Additional · FinTech Law & Policy, Duke University · FIDIC Contract Management · National Security Workshop, NDU Pakistan
Track Record
Digital Asset Licensing Across 15+ Jurisdictions
Supported clients through licensing processes in the UAE, EU, UK, Pakistan, Brazil, Malaysia, Bahrain, and beyond — including early-stage work on one of the UAE’s first VARA licences. Delivers end-to-end execution from application strategy through to live compliance operations.
Tokenisation and Web3 Legal Architecture
Fractional GC for multiple tokenisation platforms and L2 ecosystem teams with combined raises exceeding $50M. Work spans the full lifecycle: company and token structuring, disclosure documentation, securities analysis, commercial agreements, multi-jurisdictional compliance playbooks, and audit-ready controls.
$4.2 Billion Infrastructure Transaction — China-Pakistan
Led legal advisory on one of the largest Chinese-Pakistani infrastructure projects on record, executed through the Tahota network and recognised in the China Business Law Journal. Complemented by prior mandates for the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, the Chinese Overseas Association, and the Chinese Business Association.
Compliance Leadership at VARA-Licensed Exchange
Fractional VP Legal & Compliance at one of the UAE’s earliest VARA-licensed digital asset exchanges during the critical regulatory build window. Delivered AML/KYC frameworks, governance design, investor contracts, and the licensing infrastructure that supported subsequent expansion across UAE, Malaysia, Bahrain, Indonesia, and beyond.
Pakistan’s First BNPL/NBFC Licence — SECP (2021)
Led the regulatory process that produced Pakistan’s first-ever Buy Now Pay Later NBFC licence from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan — a regulatory first covered internationally across Benzinga, PRNewswire, and Dawn.
Public Presence
Safi is an active participant in the global digital assets and fintech policy conversation — as a speaker, panelist, researcher, and media contributor.
Conference and event appearances include: Token2049 · ETH Latam · Horasis Global Meeting · Stellar Meridian · COP30 side events · DARTE (Digital Assets Round Table Expert, São Paulo) · Future Fest · UNODC capacity-building workshops on cryptocurrency-related crime · FATF digital asset panels
Research: Co-authored Navigating Socio-Economic and Security Challenges: An Exploration of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Implementation in Pakistan — Journal of Indian Studies.
Media: 300+ appearances as a political and technology analyst across international television and print.
Jurisdictions
Esquare Legal advises on regulatory and compliance matters across more than 15 jurisdictions — including the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, UAE and the broader GCC, Brazil and Latin America, Asia-Pacific markets, and China.
See full jurisdictions coverage →
Work Together
Safi works with a limited number of clients at any given time. If you are building in Web3, fintech, or cross-border markets and need senior legal and compliance counsel embedded in the team — not billing from the outside — this is the conversation worth having.
Email → safighauri@esquarelegal.com