Financial Law and Cooperative Practice

FinancialLaw.

CooperativesBanksInsurance

We support savings and credit cooperatives and banking institutions with outside legal counsel, in-house teams and direct support for their governing bodies. We anticipate legal risk instead of merely reacting to it.

01 / The sector

A growing sector. An unforgiving environment.

Ecuador's popular and solidarity financial sector is now a pillar of the national economy. Behind those figures are institutions growing in an increasingly demanding regulatory environment and exposed to new legal risks. A poorly timed legal decision can cost equity, reputation and the trust of members.

USD28,250Min assets of the popular and solidarity financial sector
0growth since 2012
1/3of the national financial system
No. 1in South America by assets-to-GDP ratio

Figures for Ecuador's popular and solidarity financial sector.

03 / Front A · Cooperatives

The best ally of your Board and Management.

Most of our financial-sector clients are cooperatives. Beyond solving specific problems, ongoing legal counsel strengthens corporate governance and supports every decision of the Board of Directors, the Supervisory Board and Management.

Fexlaw boardroom in Quito
A tailored plan, not a fixed package.No two cooperatives are alike. We design the legal roadmap around your reality.
  1. In-house legal department

    We join your cooperative as its own legal department: day-to-day support for Management and operating areas, with the entire Fexlaw team behind us.

    Contracts and operating documentsMember claimsSEPS requests
  2. Outside legal counsel

    A multidisciplinary team available whenever your cooperative needs it: regulatory, criminal and compliance, data protection, labor, civil and tax.

    Ongoing consultationsLegal opinionsRegulatory training
  3. Boards of Directors and Supervisory Boards

    Legal support for every decision: preparation and support of meetings, minutes and resolutions, internal regulations, corporate governance and board members' liability.

    Meetings and minutesInternal regulationsCorporate governance
  4. Collections and Debt Recovery

    Out-of-court and judicial management of past-due portfolios, enforcement of collateral and recovery of receivables, with clear reports for Management and the Boards.

    Out-of-court collectionExecutory proceedingsEnforcement of collateral
  5. Legal counsel to General Management

    We support Management in its day-to-day decisions: legal review and validation of transactions, contracts with suppliers and partners, responses to requests from the SEPS and other authorities, and timely legal judgment before signing or executing.

    Transaction validationContracts and agreementsRequests from authorities

How we protect your cooperative

Popular and Solidarity Economy

Specialized regulatory counsel on cooperatives, regulatory training and institutional support in the face of SEPS changes.

BenefitCompliance without surprises and Board decisions backed by sound legal support.View service →

Criminal and Compliance

Against internal fraud, embezzlement and financial crimes: strategic defense, forensic investigation and anti-money laundering and anti-bribery programs.

BenefitShields the institution and protects members' equity.View service →

Data Protection

Your cooperative holds sensitive data on thousands of members: compliance assessment, policies, DPO role and proceedings before the supervisory authority.

BenefitHelps prevent penalties and preserves your members' trust.View service →

Banking and Financial Litigation

When a member's or user's claim escalates to court: strategic litigation and preventive counsel in financial and insurance disputes.

BenefitReduces exposure to adverse rulings and protects your portfolio.View service →

Labor and Social Security

Individual or collective claims and social security risks: contract review, labor compliance, litigation defense and occupational health.

BenefitMinimizes contingencies and protects the institution and its people.View service →

Civil and Tax

Breaches of contract, enforcement of collateral and SRI tax assessments: recovery of receivables, asset defense, due diligence and tax planning.

BenefitRecover what is yours and bring order to your tax burden.View service →
04 / Front B · Banks

Outside legal counsel for banking.

Banks and financial institutions find in Fexlaw an outside team with experience in the sector's complex litigation, able to join their legal department on regulatory, litigation and criminal matters that demand an immediate response.

  1. Financial regulatory

    Consultations, legal opinions, administrative proceedings and responses to requests from supervisory bodies, with timely technical judgment.

    Supervisory bodiesAdministrative proceedingsFinancial regulations
  2. Banking and insurance litigation

    Representation in complex litigation and financial and insurance disputes, with a preventive approach that anticipates conflict before it escalates.

    Strategic litigationInsuranceCustomer claims
  3. White-collar crime and internal fraud

    Forensic investigation and strategic defense against fraud, embezzlement and financial crimes affecting the institution's assets.

    Forensic investigationInternal fraudFinancial crimes
  4. Anti-money laundering and anti-bribery compliance

    Anti-money laundering programs and anti-bribery management systems under the ISO 37001 standard, tailored to banking operations.

    Money laundering preventionISO 37001Due diligence
  5. Personal data protection

    Compliance assessment, internal policies and the data protection officer role for institutions that hold sensitive information.

    AssessmentPoliciesData protection officer
  6. Debt and Collateral Recovery

    Judicial collection, enforcement of collateral and recovery of high-value receivables, with clear reports for management.

    Judicial collectionEnforcement of collateralReceivables
Workstations at Fexlaw's offices
An outside ally for your legal department.Independent judgment and our own team of lawyers, analysts and forensic experts.
05 / How we work

From the first meeting to ongoing support.

01

Initial meeting

We get to know your institution, its governing bodies and its priorities.

02

Legal assessment

We identify regulatory, contractual, labor and criminal risks before they escalate.

03

Tailored plan

A concrete legal roadmap for your institution's growth and security.

04

Ongoing support

In-house, outside counsel or both: your legal team, always available.

06 / Track record

Anticipating risk, not just reacting to it.

Our advantage is a highly specialized team in financial and cooperative law, with years of experience in the sector. Lawyers, analysts and forensic experts who know the inner workings of cooperatives and banks and use proprietary technology to detect risk before it becomes a problem. That is why the organizations that rank the region's leading law firms recognize us year after year.

01
Leaders League
Best FirmLeaders League6 consecutive years
02
Chambers and Partners
Ranked inChambers and PartnersLatin America 2027
03
IP STARS
Ranked firmIP STARSManaging IP · 2026
04
WTR 1000
Bronze BandWTR 1000Trademarks · 2026

Certified ISO 37001 Anti-briberySignatories UN · WEPsCertified Great Place to Work

07 / Team

The people behind your support.

A team dedicated to the financial and cooperative sector, backed by the entire Firm: lawyers, analysts and forensic experts in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

Francisco Estupiñán Barrantes
01Francisco
Gabriel Varela Ordóñez
02Gabriel
02 / 07Gabriel
Varela Ordóñez
Practice Area DirectorView profile →
Grace Chiriboga ErazoPractice lead
03Grace
03 / 07Grace
Chiriboga Erazo
Lead attorney of the practiceView profile →
Camila Flor Álvarez
04Camila
CONTACT

Let's talk about
your institution.

Choose your type of institution and we will message you directly on WhatsApp to schedule an initial meeting.

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Offices in Quito · Guayaquil · Bogotá · Medellín · Lima
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