Matthias Meinert focuses his practice on finance law matters involving investment funds, asset managers, fund advisers, financial institutions and investors. He advises clients on the structuring, formation and distribution of investment funds as well as on regulatory compliance questions. This includes providing legal advice on the eligibility of investments by German regulated investors such as insurance companies and pension schemes.

Mr. Meinert has experience guiding investment managers entering the German market. He assists with setting up German affiliates and respective license application procedures with BaFin / Deutsche Bundesbank as well as the establishment of German branches of EU investment firms and fund management companies (UCITS ManCos & AIFMs).

He also acts as a legal advisor within the digital assets and blockchain space. In particular Mr. Meinert advises cryptocurrency funds, sponsors and note issuers in all aspects of the fundraising lifecycle, including structuring, regulatory compliance and marketing.

Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Meinert was an in-house lawyer at the investment management company, PIMCO, and at a German fund management company (Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft). He started his career in the financial services tax practice group of a leading audit company and has more than 10 years professional experience as a lawyer focusing on the investment & asset management industry. Furthermore, Mr. Meinert is qualified as a certified Compliance Officer (Univ.).

    • Rubinstein & Schmiedel on the structuring and launch of their first regulated crypto trading investment fund.
    • Rudy Capital on the structuring and initial issuance of debt instruments linked to a portfolio of crypto assets.
    • Union Investment on the establishment of “UniAlternativ: Privatmarkt ELTIF A”, a European long-term investment fund (ELTIF) aimed at retail investors in Germany. The fund provides access to three key private markets strategies: infrastructure, private debt and private equity assets throughout Europe and the U.S.
    • Lie Detectors, a nonprofit organization that sends journalists into schools in order to improve news literacy, increase awareness of misinformation, and empower teens to base their choices on reliable information, on corporate governance issues, employment law as well as other specific German law questions.
    • Verband Deutscher Studierendeninitiativen e. V., a nonprofit umbrella organization of student initiatives that promotes the exchange, cooperation and further development of student initiatives, both on a national and local level on corporate governance and employment law matters.
    • The Incompatibility of lump sum taxation of income from investment funds with EU Law [„Unionsrechtswidrigkeit der Pauschalbesteuerung von Investmentfondserträgen“] - NWB, 416-426 (2015, together with RA/StB Christian Ebner)
    • Federal Ministry of Finance on income from so-called non-transparent investment funds [„BMF zu Einkünften aus sog. intransparenten Investmentfonds“] - NWB, 1325-1329 (2015)
    • Investment Tax Reform: Discussion Draft of the BMF on the non-transparent taxation of investment funds [„Investmentsteuerreform: Diskussionsentwurf des BMF zur intransparenten Besteuerung von Investmentfonds”] - NWB, 2416-2420 (2015)