Zachary Goldman's practice focuses on financial crime and fintech issues, with a particular focus on cryptocurrency, distributed ledger technology, financial sanctions and anti–money laundering (AML). Mr. Goldman serves as a trusted advisor for the financial services sector, in particular cryptocurrency and digital asset companies, where he advises on a wide range of regulatory issues that affect virtual currency exchanges, investors, traders, wallet providers, protocol and software developers, token issuers, and others.  He broadly counsels virtual currency and digital asset clients on the AML, sanctions, money transmission, securities, and bank regulatory implications of their proposed activities, helping to devise regulatory strategies for cryptocurrency businesses, and to engage with regulators to obtain guidance or licenses.  Mr. Goldman also advises technology companies seeking to provide financial services, either by entering into partnerships with banks or money transmitters or by pursuing their own licenses, and counsels clients in a range of industries on compliance with the complex body of laws and regulations governing AML and sanctions.  

Mr. Goldman also has substantial experience in complex cross-border enforcement proceedings related to cryptocurrency, AML, sanctions, and anti-bribery/anti-corruption.

Before joining WilmerHale, Mr. Goldman was the executive director at New York University School of Law's Center on Law and Security (CLS) and an adjunct professor of law, teaching courses on national security law and cybersecurity. While there, he built CLS into a leading global research center focused on national security law, testified before US Congress and foreign parliaments on financial sanctions, and developed a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary master's degree in cybersecurity. Mr. Goldman also co-founded NYU's Center for Cybersecurity.

Mr. Goldman previously served as a special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Chairman's Action Group, and as a policy advisor at the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, where he focused on terrorist financing and Iran counterproliferation sanctions.

Mr. Goldman has an extensive record of publications on issues of financial sanctions, cybersecurity, intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and national security law and policy. These include Global Intelligence Oversight, a book he published with Oxford University Press in 2016, op-eds in leading publications like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lawfare, FT Chinese, The Atlantic and others, as well as a number of academic publications. He is regularly quoted on these topics in national and international media.

Mr. Goldman serves as co-chair of the firm's Hiring Committee in New York.

Professional Activities

• Adjunct Senior Fellow, Program on Energy, Economics, and Security, Center for a New American Security
• Former Term Member, Council on Foreign Relations, New York
• Member, New York Bar Association