Law School

Photo of Dr Monica Vessio

Dr Monica Vessio

Lecturer

M.L.Vessio@exeter.ac.uk

Overview

Dr Monica Vessio is module convenor for Commercial Law and Programme Director for the LLM Law and Business , with Law and Business Management and Law and Business Finance and Accounting. 

She joined the Law School in 2021 as Lecturer in commercial and contract law (Education and Research). Her research is on circular economy principles and disruptive technologies in the commercial arena (with consumer considerations) and how they can be regulated in sustainable and ethical ways.  

She was part of a Circular Economy Project (WEFO/ESIF funded) where the on-chain smart contract was being utilised to bolster a circular economy model. She drafted the advisory document for the B2B and B2C agreements which would be part-automated for the partner organisation.

Monica has a keen interest in ethical and sustainable issues regarding supply chains and developments in digital banking law and regulation, especially with regards CBDCs and privacy concerns.  

Prior to joining Exeter she held lecturing posts at the University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg and the University of the West of England. She was also a guest lecturer at Catolica University in Porto. In South Africa, Monica collaborated with the Black Lawyers Association in an outreach programme to train and upskill attorneys (in rural areas) in the commercial legal sector. 

Monica practised as a commercial attorney and legal commercial consultant (to financial institutions and banks) for over 12 years. 

She holds a BA and LLB from Rhodes University, her LLM cum laude, with honorary colours and LLD (PhD) from the University of Pretoria.  

Monica is a member of the Centre for Commercial and Corporate Law in the Law School and meber if the Exeter Centre for Environmental Law (ExCEL). She holds a Senior Research Associate post at the Centre for Banking Law at the University of Johannesburg.

Her work has been cited in the following cases:

Constitutional Court:

Supreme Court of Appeal 

  • Margo and Another v Gardner, Gardner and Another v Margo and Another [2010] ZASCA 110

                        http://www.saflii.org.za/za/cases/ZASCA/2010/110.html

  • Nedbank Ltd and Others v The National Credit Regulator and Another [2011] ZASCA 35

                       http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2011/35.html

  • Bornman v National Credit Regulator [2013] ZASCA 130

                     http://www.saflii.org.za/za/cases/ZASCA/2013/130.html

High Court

Monica has published extensively and is the co-author of Banking Law and Practice, an annually updated practitioner’s publication. (https://store.lexisnexis.co.za/products/banking-law-and-practice-skuZASKUPG626)

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Research

Dr Vessio has a broad range of research interests: she started reading for her doctorate in the fields of contract and consumer credit law, then turned her focus onto various aspects of banking law.

Having been in practice for many years she has a keen understanding of commercial transactions. She is particularly interested in how the supply chain can be looped to support more circular and sustainable solutions.  

She has also focused her attention on the potentiality of blockhain solutions. Looking at smart contracts, and the regulatory aspects of looping the supply chain while automating it at the same time. 

Of particular interest to her is how blockhain technology is revolutionising payment systems.  

Research group links

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Supervision

Dr Vessio has and is supervising LLM and LLD students writing dissertations and thesis in the fields of banking, consumer, commercial and contract law. 

She acts as examiner for LLD and LLM students.   

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Publications

Copyright Notice: Any articles made available for download are for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the copyright holder.

| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2006 |

2022

  • Vessio M. (2022) The Case of Tulip Trading v Bitcoin Association and Others 2022.

2021

  • Vessio M. (2021) CBDC Prototype for Shared Platforms for Cross Border Transactions Using mCBDCs.
  • Vessio M. (2021) ECB Launches Investigation Phase of Digital Europe Project.
  • Vessio M, Moorcroft J. (2021) The Protection of Personal Information Act and its Interaction with the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.
  • Moorcroft J, Vessio ML. (2021) Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.
  • Vessio M. (2021) The Bank of England’s Approach to Central Bank Digital Currencies – Considerations Regarding a Native Digital Pound and the Regulatory Aspects, FinTech, Artificial Intelligence and the Law.

2020

  • Vessio M. (2020) Don’t worry if stores aren’t accepting cash…You could always suggest Pokémon cards as a form of payment.
  • Vessio M. (2020) How Smart are Smart Contracts?.
  • Vessio M. (2020) Is the Bank of England Talking Disintermediation?.
  • Vessio M. (2020) Virtual Currencies, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.
  • Vessio M. (2020) To CBDC or not to CBDC? Exploring Central Bank Digital Currency, Annual Banking Law Update 2020, Juta.

2019

  • Vessio M. (2019) The Financial Sector Regulation Act, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.
  • Vessio M. (2019) In Duplum and the Lump-sum: The Common Law and section 103(5) of the National Credit Act, South African Law Journal, volume 136, pages 462-487.
  • Vessio M. (2019) Twin Peaks and the Impact of the Consumer Protection Act on Financial Products and Services, Annual Banking Law Update 2019, Juta, 113-127.

2016

  • Vessio M. (2016) Section 127 of the National Credit Act: A Form of Statutory Repudiation – How it Modifies the Common Law, Speculum Juris, volume 30, pages 67-79.

2015

  • Vessio M. (2015) The Consumer Protection Act, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.
  • Vessio M. (2015) The National Credit Act, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.

2014

  • Vessio M. (2014) The in Duplum Rule, Banking Law and Practice, LexisNexis.

2010

2009

  • Vessio M. (2009) Beware the Provider of Reckless Credit, Tydskrif vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Reg (TSAR).

2008

  • Vessio M. (2008) What does the National Credit Regulator Regulate?, South African Mercantile Law Journal, pages 227-242.

2006

  • Vessio M, Geyser E. (2006) Land expropriation: rights and info.
  • Vessio M. (2006) A Limit on the Limit on Interest? The in duplum Rule and the Public Policy Backdrop, De Jure.
  • Vessio M. (2006) The Preponderance of the Reckless Consumer- The National Credit Bill 2005, Tydskrif vir Hedendaagse Romeins-Hollandse Reg, Journal of Contemporary Roman-Dutch Law, no. 69, pages 649-649.

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External impact and engagement

Dr Vessio is co-presenting a webinar hosted by LexisNexis (in collaboraction with BlacFox) on understanding blockchain (2024). 

Dr Vessio worked on an exteranlly funded (ESIF/WEFO) business led project. Where she researched the benefits and risks of implementing deep leasing as a service and product solution and how smart contracts can facilitate these complex transactional models. The project spanned over two years, where she worked closely with Riversimple, a hydrogen vehicle manfucatuer in developing and implementing these relational synergies to be underpinned by formal agreements (2021-2023).

The project resulted in the publication of two advisory documents:

Report on Drafting on-chain Smart Contracts with Circular Economy Aspects 

and

Relational Contracts: Theory and Application for Riversimple

(co-authors Severine Saintier and Ethan O'Gorman Davies)

                                                                       (documents avaiable on request)

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Teaching

Modules taught

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