Lena Kiely
Senior Counsel
New York

Lena Kiely
Senior Counsel
New York
Contact Details
Lena Kiely is a Senior Counsel in the U.S. Financial Services Regulatory Practice, based in New York. Lena’s practice focuses on advising U.S. and non-U.S. banks and other financial institutions on a broad range of U.S. bank regulatory, transactional and compliance matters arising under U.S. banking laws and regulations, including permissible activities and investments, control issues, affiliate and insider transactions, internal corporate reorganizations, new charter and other regulatory applications, corporate governance and supervisory matters. She also advises on financial regulatory matters related to cryptocurrency and other digital asset activities.
Prior to joining Allen & Overy, Lena served as Managing Director and Chief Bank Regulatory Counsel at BNY Mellon, where she provided strategic and regulatory advice to senior management, all lines of business and risk, compliance and other corporate functions and participated in several firm governance committees.
Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Lena was Counsel at Davis Polk & Wardwell, where her practice included advising on U.S. bank regulatory matters in connection with M&A and capital markets transactions, Dodd-Frank Act implementation, living wills, and bank and bank holding company regulatory issues.
From 2002 to 2004 Lena was a law clerk for the Hon. John E. Sprizzo of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Lena is a member of the Banking Law Committee of the American Bar Association and of the New York City Bar Association.
Qualifications
Professional
Academic
J.D., Columbia Law School, 2001
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Columbia Business Law Review, Articles Editor
B.M., Manhattan School of Music, 1997
Related articles

Publications: 24 February 2023
On February 23, 2023, in the wake of the deposit run experienced by Silvergate Bank, a bank holding deposits on behalf of a number of crypto-asset related entities, the Board of Governors of the…
Publications: 21 February 2023
Federal Reserve Issues Policy Statement on Permissible Activities of State Member Banks
Publications: 04 January 2023
Federal banking regulators issue joint statement on crypto-asset risks to banking organizations

Qualifications
Professional
Academic
J.D., Columbia Law School, 2001
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar; Columbia Business Law Review, Articles Editor
B.M., Manhattan School of Music, 1997