Unyimeabasi Odong

UnyimeAbasi’s doctoral research examines financial technology, financial crimes, and the criminal liability of organizations. Her broader law, finance, and technology research interests include financial regulation, digital assets, platforms, digital trade, and data governance. She holds a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa and is a barrister and solicitor licensed in Nigeria and by the Law Society of Ontario.

Her research is informed by over seven years of legal, regulatory and policy experience in Canada and Nigeria. She has served as a Trademarks Examiner at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and as a Senior Policy Analyst at Global Affairs Canada. 

She has also worked as a government lawyer in Nigeria where she led on procurement and contract management, documentation, and due diligence. She also led on litigation, legislative and policy drafting and advice.
She has also shared her research at various fora including the Harvard Law School Institute of Global Law and Policy (IGLP), the American Society of International Law (ASIL), Africa International Economic Law, Canadian Law and Society Association, and Canadian Conference on Fintech.

At the University of Ottawa, she is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society and the Human Rights Research and Education Centre. She has also contributed research to the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC). She is a Fellow of the Africa Fintech Network, where she has led research on fintech licensing, instant payments and fraud. She is also a fellow of the Interdisiplinary Network for Technology and Entrepreneurship in Africa (INTERA)
She is also a Certified AML Fintech Compliance Associate, and holds the ICA. Diploma in Governance, Risk and Compliance. She is a member of the Internet Society’s Canada and Nigeria Chapters, and also serves on the board of Heartwood House.

• 2026 Samit and Reshma Sharma Scholarships in Law, Technology and Society 
• 2026 Audrey J. Boyce Graduate Law Scholarship  
• 2023 SSHRC CGS-M Scholarship (SSHRC Masters Scholarship) 
• 2002 ExxonMobil Undergraduate National Merit Scholarship, Nigeria

• Regulatory Coherence, Capacity and Collaboration: Applying Lessons from Canada and the UK for Fintech Regulatory Sandboxes, in International Journal of Law and Information Technology, Volume 34, 2026.  
• Red Herrings, Red Flags, and Real Risks: A TWAIL Analysis of the FATF Regime for Virtual Currency Transactions, (2025)  6 TWAIL Review 133–166.
• Sharenting & Child Rights in the Age of Platform Capitalism by Christiana Sagay and UnyimeAbasi Odong, 58 Case W. Res. J. Int'l L. 77 (2026).
• Regional Regulatory Networks for Digital Assets in Africa, Policy Brief for CIGI Policy Brief Development for the Future of Digital Finance Conference. 
• Review of Law and Technology: A Methodical Approach by Ryan Calo, Canadian Journal of Law and Technology September, 2026: 24 Can. J. L. & Tech. 163.