Partners

Grace Chong

Head, Financial Services Regulation
Director, Corporate & Finance

Qualifications

  • LL.B (1st Class Hons), University College London
  • Advocate & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore (2011)
  • Solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong (2018)

Grace heads the Financial Services Regulation practice in Drew & Napier LLC. She has extensive experience advising on cross-border and complex regulatory matters, including licensing and conduct of business requirements, regulatory investigations, and regulatory change. A former in-house counsel at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), she regularly interacts with key regulators, is closely involved in regional regulatory reform initiatives and has led discussions with regulators on behalf of the financial services industry. Grace has led regulatory teams in Singapore and Hong Kong at two international law firms, further developing her expertise in navigating complex financial regulatory environments across multiple jurisdictions. She also brings a strategic outlook from an in-house perspective having previously been a counsel in the Global Internal Investigations Group at the Hong Kong headquarters of a large leading multinational bank.

Grace has been consistently named as one of Singapore’s top 10 FinTech lawyers and is highly ranked in Chambers FinTech and Legal 500. She is particularly recognized for her expertise in emerging technologies, including digital assets, and the strategic integration of AI solutions within financial institutions. Her team provides dedicated regulatory support to banks, asset managers and fintechs on key regulatory areas, including banking and payments regulations, licensing and authorization processes, AML regulatory investigations and sanctions, ESG implementation and audits, outsourcing and data transfer arrangements, and reviews of ISDA agreements and ancillary documents.  

She was also recognized as an “Innovative Individual” in Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers Awards 2021, named as a “Rising Star” at the 2023 IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards, and was named in Asian Legal Business’ inaugural Singapore Rising Stars 2022 list, as well as its Top 15 Rising Lawyers for APAC. She was also recognised in IFLR’s Women in Business’ Expert Guides for Singapore for the Financial Services Regulatory category for 2022.

Grace is a certified cybersecurity GIAC GLEG, IAPP CIPP/A/E and IAPP CIPM professional, and regularly conducts cybersecurity assessments and investigations in Asia. In addition, she is an International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Fellow of Information Privacy and is part of the IAPP Women Leading Privacy Board.  She was named as a Global Data Review’s Top 40 Data Lawyers for 2021, and was awarded “Privacy and Data Protection Lawyer of the Year” by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards 2021.

Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Global
Banking & Finance: Regulatory 2025 – Up and Coming for 2 consecutive years
Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT): International 2025 – Up and Coming

  • "I know Grace Chong very well. She is very active in the crypto space."
  • "Grace Chong is very up-to-date with the latest in the industry, and she is very responsive. She goes above and beyond to serve the needs of the client, which is much appreciated."
  • "It is a pleasure working with Grace. She is knowledgeable, commercial and provides sound and reasonable advice."
  • "Grace is very prompt and fast in responding. I appreciate how she gets on calls with us, gives me context, and is time-efficient and concise."
  • "Grace is an expert in her field."
  • "Grace has great connections and is dedicated to TMT. She has an understanding of this sector and has so much experience here."
  • "Grace is very prompt, time-efficient and concise."
  • Grace “is very savvy and shares her knowledge of the MAS and market trends” and “is very pragmatic and always comes forth with sensible and realistic propositions, after an in-depth understanding of our requirements and objectives. She is a real asset to have on our side.”

Chambers FinTech
Fintech Legal (Singapore) 2025 – Band 1 lawyer; Band 2 in 2024
FinTech Legal (International Firms) (Expertise Based Abroad) | FinTech – Spotlight for 5 consecutive years

  • "Grace is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional lawyers I have had the pleasure of working with. Her extensive experience, deep competency and unparalleled insights truly set her apart."
  • "Grace Chong is the best FinTech lawyer in Singapore. She is super clever, hard-working, responsive and commercial. I cannot recommend her highly enough."
  • "Her expertise reflects a thorough understanding of complex legal matters but she also demonstrates the ability to navigate and resolve intricate issues with remarkable efficiency and effectiveness."
  • "Grace is incredibly well versed in the industry, has great exposure to the regulators and is extremely available to clients. She knows her clients' risk appetite and can coordinate accordingly."
  • "She has a very high profile and is very good at what she does. Her work is very international and cross-border."

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Fintech And Financial Services Regulatory 2025 – Next Generation Partner for 2 consecutive years

  • “Grace Chong is a legal powerhouse, has a very strong reputation, and is the go-to lawyer in the industry for technology, AI and digital assets matters. She is clearly the best regulatory lawyer we have seen in the Singapore market, and she services most of the firms in the industry and is meticulous, strategic and exceptionally astute in her advice and implementation.''
  • “Grace Chong is brilliant and continually making waves and supporting the industry with her advocacy work.”
  • Grace Chong is described as an “exceptional standout in complex regulatory, privacy and AI matters”.
  • “The team, led by Grace Chong, is extremely fast and efficient at delivering work. The level of attention we get from Grace and her team is unparalleled and this is the primary reason we stick with her despite her moving firms.”
  • “Grace Chong is a gem of person. Not only does she have the most up-to-date insights from a regulatory perspective, she is able to grasp complex matters with ease over a simple phone call. She has helped us navigate sanctions and suspicious transactions with ease going above and beyond what was expected of her.”
  • “Grace Chong has deep knowledge of the fintech landscape in the region, and provides concise and actionable advice.”
  • “Grace Chong is an exceptional standout in complex regulatory, privacy and AI matters, and is someone you want on your side.”
  • Grace is “is one of the best crypto regulatory lawyers in Singapore and is very responsive and personable.

Asian Legal Business
ALB Pan Asian Regulatory Awards 2024 - Regulatory Lawyer of the Year
Singapore Rising Star 2022 – Recognised lawyer
Top 15 Rising Lawyers for APAC 2022 –Recognised lawyer

Who's Who Legal
National Guide: Southeast Asia 2024 (Fintech & Blockchain) – Recommended

Asia Legal Awards
Fintech and Digital Assets 2023 – Lawyer of the Year

IFLR1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms
Asia-Pacific Awards 2023 – Rising Star

IFLR Women in Business’ Expert Guides
Financial Services Regulatory 2022 – World’s Leading Female Lawyers

Global Data Review
Top 40 Data Lawyers for 2021

Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Awards 2021
Privacy and Data Protection Lawyer of the Year

  • Fellow of Information Privacy, IAPP
  • Certified Global Sanctions Specialist
  • GIAC Data Security & Investigations Practitioner
  • SIAC Reserve Panel
  • Regulatory Lead, ACCESS Blockchain Association
  • Head of ESG Committee, Member of Regulatory Committee, Alternative Investment Management Association
  • Director, Women in Payments (Singapore)