Niklavs Zieds is an associate at Ellex specialising in Banking & Finance. He has gained valuable experience in both the private and public sectors, having consulted credit institutions, MiFID II investment firms, AIFMD fund managers, and PSD2 service providers on the cross-border provision of services in Latvia. Niklavs' areas of competence have likewise included the scrutiny and approval of pre-IPO undertakings prospectuses, supervision of listed issuers of financial instruments and holders of financial instruments and managers of issuers in relation to MAR, MiFID II investment services and firms, and UCITS and AIFMD investment funds and investment fund managers, as well as pension funds, including in relation to PRIIPs. Niklavs simultaneously worked with the CSDR in relation to the supervision of the central securities depository and trading venues within the meaning of MiFID II. He additionally partook in the development of draft legislation in relation to takeover bids and acted as the regulators contact point for the upcoming European green bond standard and represented the regulator before ESMAs Corporate Finance Standing Committee and Investment Management Standing Committee.

Having rendered legal advice in German to a multitude of SMEs from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and having been seconded to a law firm specializing in banking and finance law in Hamburg during February 2019, Niklavs possesses a solid working knowledge of German

Education
Riga Graduate School of Law, LL.M. International and European Law (with merit)
2017-2019; Advanced law studies focused on international and European law matters, corporate, commercial, private and public law.
Riga Graduate School of Law, LL.B. Law and Diplomacy
2014-2017; Undergraduate law and international relations studies focused on international and European law matters, corporate, commercial, private and public law.

Professional Activities and Experience
2022 to date - Associate, Ellex Klavins
2021 - Senior Legal Counsel, Financial and Capital Market Commission
2018-2021 - Associate, Klauberg BALTICS attorneys-at-law