Erica Badocco is the Founder & Principal of BLegal — a financial services, fintech and digital-assets lawyer with senior experience across asset management, financial services and virtual assets, combining in-house, private practice and UAE legal consultancy experience.
Qualifications
- Solicitor — England & Wales
- Avvocato — Italy
- Licensed Legal Consultant — UAE
Experience
Before founding BLegal, Erica spent two decades in senior legal roles across London and Paris — inside both leading financial institutions and international law firms:
- BLegal (RAKEZ, UAE) — Founder & General Manager, advising on virtual-asset licensing, token issuance, regulatory perimeter assessments and strategic commercial contracts across VARA, ADGM, DIFC, CMA and CBUAE frameworks (2023–present).
- Affresco (Paris) — Co-Founder & Legal Advisor of a fintech start-up focused on cryptocurrency derivatives; regulatory strategy under MiFID II (2019–2022).
- State Street Global Advisors (Paris) — Head of EMEA Funds Distribution (Legal); built and led the funds-distribution legal team, overseeing compliance across 30+ jurisdictions (2014–2018).
- Janus Capital International (London) — EMEA Legal Counsel; investment-fund set-up, commercial contracts, fund prospectuses (2012–2014).
- Winton Capital Management (London) — Legal Counsel; onshore and offshore hedge-fund establishment and regulatory approvals (2010–2012).
- Dewey & LeBoeuf (London) — Legal Associate; retail structured products across France, Italy and the UK; seconded to the in-house legal teams of J.P. Morgan Securities and Nomura International (2007–2010).
Education
- Master of Laws (LLM) — London School of Economics
- Laurea in Giurisprudenza (Law Degree) — University of Bologna
- Certificate of Advanced Studies in Blockchain & DLT App Development — University of Geneva
- Digital Transformation (AI, IoT, Cloud, Blockchain & Cybersecurity) — MIT online professional programme
Languages & speaking
Erica works in English, French and Italian. She speaks regularly on blockchain and virtual-asset law at universities and industry events across Europe and the Middle East.
Professional profile: LinkedIn.