Capabilities›Markets›Europe: Market Entry

Europe: Market Entry

Overview

Isak Legal advises on matters across the European Union, as one market with a largely common body of law.

Isak Legal advises on EU law and on matters across the Union from Zurich: one counsel, working consistently across member states.

That capability carries two kinds of work. For international companies entering Europe, we map the EU frameworks that apply to the business model, from GDPR, the AI Act, MiCA, DORA and the AML package to financial services and consumer rules, choose the entry structure, and sequence the launch so the regulatory treatment is understood before commitments are made. For companies building regulated businesses inside Europe, we run multi-jurisdiction licensing and regulatory projects across member states from a single point of coordination.

Where the law of an individual member state, local representation or an appearance before a national court or authority is required, we work alongside established local counsel there.

ONE COUNSEL FOR THE UNION One counsel, working consistently across the member states GDPR Data and privacy AI Act Roles, risk, transparency MiCA Crypto and stablecoins AML package The 2027 rulebook DORA Operational resilience Sector rules Financial services, consumer, payments National implementation, national options and local representation through established local counsel, coordinated from one point.

EU law read as one body of law; national implementation and national options handled through local counsel.

Our EU analysis, with the primary sources, runs through all our Client Updates.

How we help

Regulatory mapping

  • The EU frameworks that apply to your model: GDPR, AI Act, MiCA, payments, consumer rules
  • Regulation-versus-directive analysis: what is uniform and where member states differ
  • Timeline mapping against the published application dates

Licensing projects

  • Multi-jurisdiction authorisation strategy, including MiCA CASP projects
  • Member-state selection for the first licence, with passporting designed in
  • Coordination of national filings through one point of responsibility

Entry structuring

  • Jurisdiction and entity selection within the EU
  • Launch sequencing and compliance roadmaps for new products
  • Substance and governance designed for regulator and bank review

Local counsel coordination

  • Established national counsel engaged where member-state law requires
  • Notarial and court matters staffed locally, coordinated centrally
  • One standard of work product across every workstream

Who we act for

International groups entering Europe

US, UK, Swiss and other third-country businesses that need the EU treated as one strategic market: framework mapping, entry structure and a launch sequence that holds up before regulators and banks.

Businesses scaling across member states

Companies with one EU foothold expanding to several: licensing extensions, passporting strategy, and group policies written once against the EU-wide rules, with national supplements only where a regulation leaves member states room.

Regulated businesses under EU frameworks

Fintechs, CASPs and technology companies subject to MiCA, DORA, the AI Act and the AML package, who need the frameworks read together.

Insights

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