Usman Sheikh is Chair of the Blockchain, AI & Fintech Practice (Canada). He is a Partner in Baker McKenzie's Toronto office, a member of the Firm's Transactional Practice Group and is also a member of the Litigation and Government Enforcement Practice Group. He leads the Firm's blockchain team (consisting of over 150 lawyers) globally and co-leads the Firm's artificial intelligence (AI) team in North America.
A highly regarded thought leader on emerging technology, Usman is often called upon globally by heads of governments, as well as key regulatory and governmental bodies, to provide insight and strategic input on legal and regulatory developments relating to emerging technologies, including FinTech, blockchain technology / digital assets, artificial intelligence (AI), Web2/Web3, quantum computing and the internet of things (IoT).
Usman was named as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers" by Canadian Lawyer (2018) and he is the only lawyer in Canada to be ranked Band 1 for FinTech by Chambers for seven consecutive years (2020–2026). He was also recognized in Toronto Life's The Influentials 2021 list, an annual feature that highlights Toronto's most influential people over the last 12 months.
Author of over 25 legal and academic publications, Usman is set to publish The Law of Blockchain Technology (Thomson Carswell) in 2027.
Prior to joining Baker, Usman spent four years as a prosecutor in the OSC’s Enforcement Branch, including within the Insider Trading/Market Manipulation Unit. In this role, he investigated and prosecuted all forms of securities law violations, including some of the largest criminal cases of insider trading in Canadian history, as well as regulatory cases of insider trading for which the highest sanctions in Canada were ordered.
Usman has served as counsel on several precedent‑setting securities and commercial cases in Canada, including cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. He has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia, as well as before a wide variety of administrative tribunals, including the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO).
Usman regularly advises clients on FinTech, AI, blockchain and digital asset matters, both on corporate and litigation cases. He has provided legal counsel on cutting‑edge token sales, NFTs, crypto asset trading platforms (aka currency exchanges), blockchain/FinTech mergers & acquisitions and cybersecurity breaches. He has also served as counsel on many of the most prominent and novel securities litigation and crypto litigation matters in Canada.
Over the years, Usman’s clients have included Canada’s largest banks and stock exchanges, investment dealers, co-founders of Ethereum, supranational organizations, 12 of the largest crypto assets in the world, DeFi protocols, metaverse projects, as well as several fintech pioneers.
