About
Daphne leads our financial institutions regulatory practice in Amsterdam. Her practice covers advising financial institutions, market infrastructures, PE and fintech companies on regulatory issues, supervisory matters and enforcement actions. She advises on a broad range of contentious and non-contentious FS regulatory matters, with specific focus on regulatory change, market access and regulatory aspects of complex (cross-border) M&A transactions, portfolio transfers and reorganizations of regulated businesses.
Daphne is recognised by Legal 500 as a New Generation Partner in Financial Services Regulatory and Fintech 2024, and by IFLR 1000 as a Rising Star for Financial Services Regulatory (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025). Daphne was seconded to the Dutch Central Bank (de Nederlandsche Bank) in 2014.
Daphne is a financial law fellow at the VU University Amsterdam and on the editorial board of the Dutch Securities Law review (Tijdschrift voor Kapitaalmarktenrecht ).
- Goldman Sachs Asset Management on its appointment by various pension entities and a captive insurance company to manage a USD 40 billion mandate for international pension plan assets in Europe and advisory services in North America.
- The European Payments Initiative on acquiring iDEAL and Payconiq International.
- Anbang (now named Dajia Insurance) on the acquisition of VIVAT, a major Dutch insurer, and sale of VIVAT to Athora.
- BNP Paribas Cardif on the cross-border merger of its Dutch business into France.
- Reinsurance Group America on the sale of De Leidsche Verzekeringen.
- Saxo Bank on its public offer on BinckBank.
- CVC on its IPO and the acquisition of DIF Capital.
- One Trading Exchange on setting up a licensed trading venue.
- A prominent asset and fund manager on global compliance with investment restrictions and dealings with supervisory authorities.
- Cinven on its majority investment in Alter Domus, a leading global provider of end-to-end, technology-enabled fund administration and corporate services across private equity, real assets, and private debt.
- Allianz Benelux on acquiring pension insurance portfolios.
- TMF on the implementation of the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements into its contractual frameworks.
Daphne van der Houwen
Strawinskylaan 10
P.O. Box 75299