Jonathan McCarthy
Research Profile
Jonathan McCarthy
Biography
Jonathan is currently the director of the LLM Business Law programme at University College Cork and deputy director for Graduate Research at the School of Law. He is a BCL and LLM graduate of UCC, and was conferred with his PhD degree at UCC in 2018. Jonathan's research interests are primarily in financial law and corporate law. He has previously taught at University of Limerick.
Research Overview
Financial law, especially the regulation of technological innovations in finance (FinTech)
Corporate law and governance, especially the suitability and efficacy of existing legal processes for small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-up firms
Jonathan supervises PhD and LLM research and he is glad to supervise postgraduate research on related topics.
Jonathan also reviews monograph and journal article submissions related to his research expertise.
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4031-3063 (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4031-3063)
Doctoral thesis: 'An analysis of the implications of the law of company rescue for small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland'
The research involved qualitative interviews with representatives of business organisations and leading insolvency practitioners. The thesis advanced an empirically-based argument for alternative procedures of SME company rescue under Irish law. The research was funded through an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship. The initial stages of the research were funded through the award of the Ronan Daly Jermyn Scholarship.
Teaching
University College Cork (2019- ): Company Law (LW3300, LW3311), Introduction to Business Law (LW1109), Contemporary Issues in Corporate Law (LW3347), Business Law in Practice (LW6646), Digital Finance and FinTech: Law and Regulation (LW6660).
University of Limerick (2018-19): Contract Law, Advanced Lawyering, Introduction to Criminal Justice.
University College Cork (2015-18): Banking Law, English Land Law, Contract Law, Property Law.
External examining
Bachelor of Laws (Honours) programme, Dublin Business School
Teaching and research courses completed
- Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, UCC
- Epigeum Research Integrity (2022 and 2025), UCC
- Digital Badge in Universal Design for Teaching and Learning, UCC
- Digital Badge in Connected Curriculum and You, UCC
- Research Skills CPD Certificate, UCC
Research Overview
Financial law, especially the regulation of technological innovations in finance (FinTech)
Corporate law and governance, especially the suitability and efficacy of existing legal processes for small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-up firms
Jonathan supervises PhD and LLM research and he is glad to supervise postgraduate research on related topics.
Jonathan also reviews monograph and journal article submissions related to his research expertise.
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-4031-3063 (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4031-3063)
Publications and peer-reviewed journal articles
2025
'Developments in Financial Services: UK and EU Approaches to Digital Finance', in C. Panara and E. Guinchard (eds.), The New Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Springer, 2025)
'Wrong Turns or Paths Not (Yet) Taken: The Creation of an EU Regulatory Framework for Digital Finance' (forthcoming, Annales)
2024
(with Martina Pelikánová) 'The Present and Future of Societas Europaea (SEs): The Irish and Czech Experiences' (2024) 31(1) Commercial Law Practitioner 3
2023
'From Childish Things: The Evolving Sandbox Approach in the EU's Regulation of Financial Technology' (2023) 15(1) Law, Innovation and Technology 1
'The Regulation of RegTech and SupTech in Finance: Ensuring Consistency in Principle and in Practice' (2023) 31(2) Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance 186
'Cyber-Risks in Modern Finance: Building Operational and Regulatory Resilience' (2023) 38(7) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 233
2022
'The Prospect of a Digital Euro: Incentives, Design, and Legal Effects' (2022) 29(7) Commercial Law Practitioner 135
'Distributed Ledger Technology and Financial Market Infrastructures: Proposal for an EU Pilot Regulatory Regime' (2022) 17(3) Capital Markets Law Journal 288
Book Review (Consumer and SME Credit Law, by Nora Beausang) (2022) 5 Journal of Business Law 454
2021
'Evaluating the EU's Digital Finance Strategy: Ambitious Glimpses of Future Regulation?' (2021) 36(9) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 379
Contributed three chapters to M. Donnelly, The Law of Credit and Security (3rd edition) (Thomson Roundhall, 2021)
2020
2025
'Developments in Financial Services: UK and EU Approaches to Digital Finance', in C. Panara and E. Guinchard (eds.), The New Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Springer, 2025)
'Wrong Turns or Paths Not (Yet) Taken: The Creation of an EU Regulatory Framework for Digital Finance' (forthcoming, Annales)
2024
The Legacy of COVID-19 Financial Supports: (1) Judging the Effects of the Pandemic-Era Measures' (2024) 39(9) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 295
'The Legacy of COVID-19 Financial Supports: (2) Adapting to a Life Beyond the Pandemic' (2024) 39(10) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 345
(with Martina Pelikánová) 'The Present and Future of Societas Europaea (SEs): The Irish and Czech Experiences' (2024) 31(1) Commercial Law Practitioner 3
2023
'From Childish Things: The Evolving Sandbox Approach in the EU's Regulation of Financial Technology' (2023) 15(1) Law, Innovation and Technology 1
'The Regulation of RegTech and SupTech in Finance: Ensuring Consistency in Principle and in Practice' (2023) 31(2) Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance 186
'Cyber-Risks in Modern Finance: Building Operational and Regulatory Resilience' (2023) 38(7) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 233
Co-authored chapter ('SMEs and European Capital Markets: Understanding the Rationale for Reform') in I. Chiu and I. MacNeil (eds.), Edward Elgar Research Handbook on Global Capital Markets Law (Edward Elgar, 2023)
'SMEs and FinTech in the European Union: How to Balance Innovation and Regulation?' in W. Nelson (ed.), Advances in Business and Management (Volume 20) (Nova Publishers, 2023)
'SMEs and FinTech in the European Union: How to Balance Innovation and Regulation?' in W. Nelson (ed.), Advances in Business and Management (Volume 20) (Nova Publishers, 2023)
'The Prospect of a Digital Euro: Incentives, Design, and Legal Effects' (2022) 29(7) Commercial Law Practitioner 135
'Cryptocurrencies, Digital Money and Regulatory Damage' (2022) 37(8) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 282
Book Review (Consumer and SME Credit Law, by Nora Beausang) (2022) 5 Journal of Business Law 454
2021
'Evaluating the EU's Digital Finance Strategy: Ambitious Glimpses of Future Regulation?' (2021) 36(9) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 379
Contributed three chapters to M. Donnelly, The Law of Credit and Security (3rd edition) (Thomson Roundhall, 2021)
2020
'FinTech, Digital Finance and the EU's Regulatory Choices' (2020) 35(11) Journal of
International Banking Law and Regulation 463
'European Capital Markets Union: A Revived Project but A Broader Agenda' (2020) 35(10) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 383
'A Class Apart: The Relevance of the EU Preventive Restructuring Directive for Small and Medium Enterprises' (2020) 21(4) European Business Organization Law Review 895
'Preferential Creditor Status in Irish Corporate Insolvency Law: A Need for More Priorities?' (2020) 4 Irish Judicial Studies Journal 62
2019
'European Capital Markets Union: A Revived Project but A Broader Agenda' (2020) 35(10) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 383
'A Class Apart: The Relevance of the EU Preventive Restructuring Directive for Small and Medium Enterprises' (2020) 21(4) European Business Organization Law Review 895
'Preferential Creditor Status in Irish Corporate Insolvency Law: A Need for More Priorities?' (2020) 4 Irish Judicial Studies Journal 62
2019
'What Happens Next? The EU's Efforts in Regulating the Growth of Fintech' (2019) 34(11) Journal of International Banking Law and Regulation 404
'Something Old, Something New? The Potential Impact of the EU Preventive Restructuring Directive through an Irish Case Study' (2019) 16(6) International Corporate Rescue 356
'FinTech: The Legal and Regulatory Significance for Irish Banking' (2019) 26(8) Commercial Law Practitioner 137
'Challenges in Finding the 'Right' Approach to SME Rescue: The Example of Reforms to the Irish Examinership Process' (2019) 32(2) Insolvency Intelligence 43
Publications during doctoral studies
'Something Old, Something New? The Potential Impact of the EU Preventive Restructuring Directive through an Irish Case Study' (2019) 16(6) International Corporate Rescue 356
'FinTech: The Legal and Regulatory Significance for Irish Banking' (2019) 26(8) Commercial Law Practitioner 137
'Challenges in Finding the 'Right' Approach to SME Rescue: The Example of Reforms to the Irish Examinership Process' (2019) 32(2) Insolvency Intelligence 43
Publications during doctoral studies
'The Credit Guarantee Scheme: An Analysis of Recent Reforms and of its Performance to Date' (2017) 24(9) Commercial Law Practitioner 183
'A Review of the Credit Guarantee Scheme' (2013) 20(8) Commercial Law Practitioner 170
Blog posts
'Testing Requirements in the EUs Digital Operational Resilience Act: A(nother) Potential AI Regulatory Problem?' (July 2024) - Oxford Business Law Blog: https://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/oblb and Duke FinReg Blog: https://sites.duke.edu/thefinregblog/
'Enhancing Regulatory Powers to Tackle White Collar Crime' (April 2019) - Criminal Justice in Ireland blog: https://criminaljusticeinireland.wordpress.com/
Blog posts
'Testing Requirements in the EUs Digital Operational Resilience Act: A(nother) Potential AI Regulatory Problem?' (July 2024) - Oxford Business Law Blog: https://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/oblb and Duke FinReg Blog: https://sites.duke.edu/thefinregblog/
'Enhancing Regulatory Powers to Tackle White Collar Crime' (April 2019) - Criminal Justice in Ireland blog: https://criminaljusticeinireland.wordpress.com/
Doctoral thesis: 'An analysis of the implications of the law of company rescue for small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland'
The research involved qualitative interviews with representatives of business organisations and leading insolvency practitioners. The thesis advanced an empirically-based argument for alternative procedures of SME company rescue under Irish law. The research was funded through an Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship. The initial stages of the research were funded through the award of the Ronan Daly Jermyn Scholarship.
Teaching
University College Cork (2019- ): Company Law (LW3300, LW3311), Introduction to Business Law (LW1109), Contemporary Issues in Corporate Law (LW3347), Business Law in Practice (LW6646), Digital Finance and FinTech: Law and Regulation (LW6660).
University of Limerick (2018-19): Contract Law, Advanced Lawyering, Introduction to Criminal Justice.
University College Cork (2015-18): Banking Law, English Land Law, Contract Law, Property Law.
External examining
Bachelor of Laws (Honours) programme, Dublin Business School
Teaching and research courses completed
- Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, UCC
- Epigeum Research Integrity (2022 and 2025), UCC
- Digital Badge in Universal Design for Teaching and Learning, UCC
- Digital Badge in Connected Curriculum and You, UCC
- Research Skills CPD Certificate, UCC