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About Mena

Mena's practice spans all aspects of regulatory compliance in the retail financial services and payments industry at both the federal and provincial level, with a particular focus on consumer protection issues relating to financial services and products and the application of these laws in the online environment.

Mena advises financial entities and a wide variety of other regulated and unregulated financial service providers and participants in the payments card industry, including prepaid card issuers and distributors as well as fintechs, on various aspects of their business. She has extensive experience in developing and improving compliance programs, including internal policies and procedures, and in drafting and reviewing standard form contacts, related disclosures and other documentation. Mena works with both domestic and international clients.

Mena has particular expertise in legislative compliance areas that affect her clients and specializes in a wide range of regulatory issues, including federal financial institutions legislation and guidelines, payment systems legislation, AML and Canadian sanctions laws, rules affecting payment card networks, cost of borrowing legislation, provincial regulation of consumer contracts, requirements under credit reporting and debt collection legislation, payday lending legislation, mortgage broker legislation, loan broker legislation and e-commerce matters, as well as legislation affecting both commercial and consumer lenders.

Mena has been seconded to four different financial institutions, including two of the largest banks in Canada. She gained invaluable in-house experience, working closely with in-house counsel and directly advising the businesses on regulatory compliance matters, including in connection with the development and launch of credit products.

Awards & Recognition

Mena has been recognized in the following publications:

  • Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2025 (Up and Coming – Banking & Finance: Financial Services Regulation)

  • The Legal 500 Canada – 2022–2024 (Banking & Finance)

Professional Activities

Mena is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Ontario Bar Association. She also sits on three committees of the Canadian Lenders Association. The first is the Policy Committee, where she provides regulatory insight to members on trends and developments in commercial and consumer lending. The second is the Crypto Roundtable, whose mandate is to advance innovation in cryptocurrency products and services in the lending field. The third is the Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Roundtable, which works with governmental and regulatory agencies, as well as other companies and stakeholders, to ensure compliance and consumer protection for those using the BNPL service.

Publications
Professional Appearances
  • Co-speaker : How Innovation in Payments Can Help Businesses to Grow and Thrive
    TRANSACT Tech powered by ETA, Toronto, Ontario, June 12, 2024.
  • Co-moderator : Avoiding Speed Bumps
    Canadian Lenders Association Bankers Summit, Toronto, Ontario, May 17, 2023.
  • Co-speaker : Recent Trends and Updates (Revised Pad Rule, Criminal Interest Rate Consultation, Ontario Consumer Protection Consultation)
    Canadian Payments Outlook 2023, Blakes Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, March 29, 2023.
  • Co-speaker : Update on the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Beyond Cards: Payment Progression in Canada
    Blakes Business Class Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, October 8, 2020.
  • Co-speaker : AML Regulations: Yet More Amendments
    Blakes Business Class Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, February 27, 2020.
  • Co-speaker : Closing the Gap: Update on AML and Prepaid Cards Beyond Cards: Payment Progression in Canada
    Blakes Business Class Webinar, Toronto, Ontario, October 3, 2019.
  • Co-speaker : Prepaid Cards: Closing the risk-gap in Canada’s AML regime
    Beyond Cards: Payment Progression in Canada, Toronto, Ontario, October 16, 2018.
Education

Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 2009
LLB, Windsor Law School – 2008
BA (Hon.), York University – 2005

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