Ibtissem Lassoued

Level Up: Unlocking Financial Potential In The Middle East

Welcome to this edition of Law Update, where we focus on the ever-evolving landscape of financial services regulation across the region. As the financial markets in the region continue to grow and diversify, this issue provides timely insights into the key regulatory developments shaping banking, investment, insolvency, and emerging technologies.

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Eyes
On 2025

Legal Updates in
Middle East & North Africa

2025 is set to be a game-changer for the MENA region, with legal and regulatory shifts from 2024 continuing to reshape its economic landscape. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, and Bahrain are all implementing groundbreaking reforms in sustainable financing, investment laws, labor regulations, and dispute resolution. As the region positions itself for deeper global integration, businesses must adapt to a rapidly evolving legal environment.

Our Eyes on 2025 publication provides essential insights and practical guidance on the key legal updates shaping the year ahead—equipping you with the knowledge to stay ahead in this dynamic market.

The leading law firm in the Middle East & North Africa region.

Biography

Ibtissem Lassoued is a Partner and Co-Head of Advisory in the Regional White Collar Crime & Investigations Practice of Al Tamimi & Company, covering all ten of the firm’s jurisdictions.

She graduated from the Sorbonne University (Paris) and joined Al Tamimi & Company in 2007 from the legal department of the French Group Vivendi, where she conducted primarily US litigation (e.g. class actions, Securities and Exchange Commission (‘SEC’) and Department of Justice (‘DOJ’) investigations.
Ibtissem Lassoued has extensive experience advising international clients on a spectrum of complex, multijurisdictional white collar crime issues, including but not limited to anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, global economic sanctions, anti-corruption matters including the extraterritorial effect of the US FCPA and UK Bribery act, complex fraud, Capital Market investigations, extradition and INTERPOL including challenges to INTERPOL Red Notices, and reputational risks attached to such issues.

Ibtissem has been ranked as Band 1 in Chambers Global for Corporate Investigations for 9 consecutive years since the category’s inclusion and is commended for being ‘at the forefront of the market in this arena, ‘as passionate about her area of expertise as she is knowledgeable’ and ‘stunningly good at what she does’.
In 2019, she was ranked amongst Financial News’ 50 Most Influential Women in Middle East Finance. Ibtissem is also currently serving as a member of the International Advisory Board of the CEELI Institute, a non-profit non-governmental organisation based in Prague, Czech Republic, dedicated to advancing the rule of law. She has been included by Asian Legal Business within the MENA Super 50 since 2021.

Ibtissem’s international profile and engagement with the financial sector has led her to assume an influential role in financial crime reform in the MENA region.

Thought Leadership

In addition to her legal practice, Ibtissem is regularly invited to speak at international conferences in respect of her areas of expertise, with the most recent ones being listed below:

Moderator for a session on Emerging trends in white-collar, sanctions, and corruption hosted by The Wealth Today (6 June 2023, Dubai, UAE)
Speaker on Outsourcing AML activities – The Opportunity and Challenges at the 14th Compliance and Anti-Money Laundering Seminar hosted by The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and Refinitiv (20 and 21 March 2023, Riyadh, KSA)
Delivered training on Corporate Compliance to National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) (13 and 14 March 2023, Riyadh, KSA)
Panelist on the Importance of Anti-Corruption Due Diligence in M&A Transactions, International Bar Association Annual Conference (3 November 2022, Miami, US)
Panelist on Doing Business in the Middle East, Al Tamimi & Company Seminar (1 November 2022, Miami, US)
Speaker on Public Private Sector Partnerships at the London Stock Exchange 14th MENA Regulatory Summit (25 October 2022, Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Speaker on Financial Crime Risk Landscape in KSA at Saudi Arabia Financial Crime Risk Assessment Roundtable organized by Jersey Finance (17 October 2022)
Panelist on Public Private Partnership for Financial Crime in the MENA Region at the Arab Lawyers Forum (9-10 May 2022, London, UK)
Speaker at the Public Private Partnership Summit (27 April 2022)
Speaker on Decentralized Finance – Risk, Compliance and Opportunities at The Finance Today Summit (23 March 2022, Dubai, UAE)
Speaker on Cryptocurrency/ criminal matters at RESOLVE 2022 – Abu Dhabi International Dispute Resolution Forum (16 March 2022, Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Speaker at the Financial Crime Symposium 2022 (9 March 2022, Dubai, UAE)
Speaker at the London Stock Exchange Group 13th Risk Summit (30 January 2022, Riyadh, KSA)
Delivered Lexis Nexis Qatar Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing Training (30 November 2021)

Recent Experience

Conducting numerous reviews of anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies for compliance with regional laws.
Assisting clients with extradition matters.
Providing legal opinions and trainings to international law firms and Clients.
Providing legal opinions to international law firms on the regional laws relating to anti-corruption, specifically with regard to gifts and hospitality, code of conduct, conflict of interest policies.
Advising a multinational technology company with training materials to be used for in-house training on the UAE, KSA, Qatar, Kuwait anti-corruption laws including the applicability of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Bribery Act.
Advising a bank on the conduct of an internal investigation into potential mismanagement and breaches of procedure by the CEO.
Advising international law firms on the relevant criminal law and procedures relating to internal investigations of long-term kickbacks by companies branches operating in the region.
Assisting clients with internal investigations against employees and criminal complaints, and advising on reporting obligations.
Providing strategic advice in relation to Capital Markets Authority investigations in Saud Arabia.
Advising UHNW clients and challenging Red Notices before the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files at Interpol Headquarters in Lyon (France).