Dr. Ryan Clements

Dr. Ryan Clements

SJD

Positions

Chair - Business Law & Regulation

Faculty of Law

Assistant Professor

Faculty of Law

Contact information

Email

ryan.clements1@ucalgary.ca

Web presence

Personal website

Phone number

Office: 403.210.6866

Location

Office: MFH3335A

Background

Educational Background

SJD Duke University, 2020

LLM (Magna Cum Laude) Duke University, 2018

LLB (Distinction) University of Alberta, 2007

BA Economics (Honors, First Class), University of Alberta, 2004

Biography

Dr. Ryan Clements is an Assistant Professor, Chair in Business Law and Regulation at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law. He currently serves on both the New Economy Advisory Committee at the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC), and Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) national Investor Advisory Panel. 

His expertise is in the regulation of fintech (financial technology), blockchain and crypto-assets, financial product innovation, investment funds, securities law, banking and financial market regulation, financial crises, and systemic risk.

He has published, and spoken, extensively on diverse topics in crypto-asset, blockchain and fintech regulation, financial product innovation, securities and derivatives law in international anthologies, peer-reviewed journals, U.S. law reviews including the Banking and Finance Law Review, the Canadian Business Law Journal, the Virginia Law & Business Review, the Routledge Handbook of Fintech, the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Business Law, the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy Research Paper Series, the Alberta Law Review, the Journal of Law & Education, the Michigan Business & Entrepreneurial Law Review, the William & Mary Business Law Review, the Wake Forest Law Review Online, the DePaul Business & Commercial Law Journal, the Wolters Kluwer Research Handbook on the Law of Fintech, and a forthcoming chapter in Fintech Competition (Hart-Bloomsbury). He has also blogged widely on diverse topics on fintech, crypto, financial regulation and securities law on the Duke FinReg Blog, the Columbia Law School Blue Sky blog and the University of Calgary Faculty of Law Blog (ABlawg).  He was also commissioned to write an expert report on Canadian cryptocurrency governance for the Public Order Emergency Commission. 

Dr. Clements received this Doctorate in Juridical Science (SJD) at Duke University Law School, where his dissertation focused on post-crisis financial product innovation and exchange traded funds. He obtained his Master of Laws (LLM), Magna Cum Laude, from Duke University Law School, his LLB (with Distinction), and his BA Economics (Honors, First Class) from the University of Alberta.

He advises various levels of government, both domestic and international, and diverse securities commissions, on crypto regulation and fintech matters, and has also served on the advisory boards of both public and private fintech ventures. Dr. Clements is a former Senior Policy Advisor at the ASC, and a member of the crypto-asset working group of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). He has also practiced corporate, securities, and start-up company law at both large and boutique firms in Calgary and Toronto and is a member of both the Law Society of Alberta and Ontario.

He is also the Managing General Editor, and special fintech co-editor, of the Banking and Finance Law Review.

A complete list of his publications, presentations, experience and media appearances can be found on his personal website.

Research

Areas of Research

Corporate & Securities Law, Banking & Financial Market Regulation, Financial Technology, Blockchain & Crypto-Assets, Financial Product Innovation & Investment Funds, Financial Market Systemic Risk & Crises

Courses

Course number Course title Semester
LAW 404 Property Fall 2022 / Winter 2023
LAW 648 Securities Law Fall 2022
LAW 693 Fintech Law & Policy Winter 2023
LAW 677 Corporate Securities Moot Winter 2023

Publications

  • “Emerging Canadian Crypto-Asset Jurisdictional Uncertainties and Regulatory Gaps” . Ryan Clements. Presentation to Alberta Securities Commission Staff and Executive . (2021)
  • “Emerging Canadian Crypto-Asset Jurisdictional Uncertainties and Regulatory Gaps". Ryan Clements. Alberta Early Career Legal Scholars Workshop. (2021)
  • “ETFs & Passive Investing: Regulatory Challenges and Financial Stability Implications”. Ryan Clements. Financial Issues Webinar Series presentation to Directorate General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets, DG-FISMA, European Commission's department responsible for #EU policy on banking and finance. (2021)
  • "How do Cryptocurrencies Affect the Canadian and International System’s Financial Stability?” . Ryan Clements. McGill International Business and Trade Law Society, 2nd Annual Conference, Technologies Transforming International Business and Trade Dynamics Turning Opportunities into Threats . (2021)
  • “The Game Stop Saga. What Happened and What Does It Mean?” . Ryan Clements. Business Law Students Association Special Event, University of Calgary Faculty of Law . (2021)
  • “What Are the Objectives of Alberta Securities Laws?” . Ryan Clements. Saturday Morning at The Law School Presentation Series, University of Calgary Faculty of Law . (2020)
  • “Emerging Issues in Fintech Regulation". Ryan Clements. Purdy Crawford Business Law Workshop: Business Regulation and the Digital Economy (virtual), Dalhousie University Law School. (2020)
  • “What Have We Learned so Far about ETFs in the COVID-19 Crisis?” . Ryan Clements. University of Calgary School of Public Policy Webinar Series . (2020)
  • Financial Inclusion in British Columbia: Evaluating The Role of Fintech. Presentation to Universal Basic Income panel, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia. (2019)
  • Emerging Systemic Risks in Exchange Traded Funds. Paper presentation at Americans For Financial Report Conference on Registered Funds, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.. (2019)
  • The Future of Financial Markets – How Financial Products and Processes are Impacted by Technology. Shoulder to Shoulder Conference, Goodenough College-University of Calgary, London,. (2019)
  • Energizing Alberta’s Capital Market. Alberta Securities Commission Webinar (Panel Participant). (2019)
  • Regulating Crypto. Presentation to Scientific Council, University of Calgary School of Public Policy . (2019)
  • Regulating Crypto. Moderator and panel participant at University of Calgary School of Public Policy “Policy & a Pint” series. (2019)
  • Regulating Fintech: Overview, Challenges and Opportunities. Presentation given at Fintech, Big Data and Canada’s Financial Markets Conference, University of Calgary School of Public Policy. (2019)
  • Regulating Decentralized Finance. Financial Times Future Leaders Webinar. (2021)
  • The Day The Loonie Died (Panel Participant). University of Calgary Alumni All Access Panel (September 28, 2021). (2021)
  • Implications of Blockchain Technology, Moderator and Panel Participant. 50th Annual Conference, Canadian Council on International Law (October 21, 2021). (2021)
  • Lawyer Superpowers: Emerging Legal Tech” Panel Participant . Goodlawyer Future of Law Conference (November 3, 2021).. (2021)
  • Emerging Canadian Crypto-Asset Jurisdictional Uncertainties and Regulatory Gaps. Presentation to Cyberjustice Laboratory, University of Montreal (November 10, 2021). (2021)
  • Cryptocurrency and the Stability of Financial Systems: Exploring the effects of decentralized finance. UBC Okanagan Faculty of Management Web Series. (2022)
  • DeFi in depth: Regulatory hurdles ahead. 2022 Global Investment Conference, Benefits Canada. (2022)
  • Institutional Investors and DeFi: Opportunities, Risks, Accessibility Frictions, and Regulatory Hurdles. Pension Investment Association of Canada, Fall 2022 Conference. (2022)
  • Making Investor Protection Concerns in Emerging Technologies More Accessible. North American Securities Administrators Association Fall 2022 Annual General Meeting. (2022)

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