Senior Legal Counsel

About the role

We are looking for a lawyer who pairs strong regulatory judgment with hands on product sense to support our business across crypto web3 fintech and payments. We operate globally so you will work across multiple jurisdictions and help us navigate a patchwork of fast moving regimes. You will sit close to the product and business teams advising on how products are designed structured and launched while keeping us on the right side of regulation. This is a role for someone who is comfortable where the rules are still developing and who can give clear practical answers under time pressure.

Requirements

• Qualified lawyer with 4 to 7 years PQE ideally in house with direct experience advising crypto or web3 businesses. Exposure to payments or financial services regulation is a strong plus.

• Strong working knowledge of the regulatory frameworks that apply to crypto web3 fintech or financial services with the ability to apply them to real products rather than in the abstract.

• Working knowledge of financial promotions and advertising or marketing regulation as it applies to financial or crypto products including paid placement sponsorship and disclosure requirements.

• Familiarity with the regulation of trading brokerage or market infrastructure activities and the ability to recognise when a product crosses into a regulated activity.

• Track record across regulatory licensing product and commercial work rather than a single specialism.

• Comfort working across multiple jurisdictions and a willingness to get up to speed quickly on unfamiliar regimes with support from local counsel where needed.

• Ability to work autonomously and reliably under tight deadlines in a fast paced high performance environment.

• Clear written and verbal communication with the ability to explain regulatory issues to non lawyers and to work with global teams across time zones.

• A practical solution oriented approach with the initiative to spot issues early and propose workable answers.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and multiple matters at once.

• Fluency in English.

Preferred

• Experience with licensing or registration for crypto payments or financial services providers for example VASP or other crypto-asset service provider regimes.

• Familiarity with frameworks across more than one region for example MiCA UK and US regimes or APAC EMEA and LATAM markets.

• Working knowledge of AML and KYC obligations sanctions and consumer or data protection rules as they apply to financial and crypto products.

• Experience engaging directly with regulators.

• Ability to speak and write in Chinese is a plus. Other languages are welcome.

• Awareness of the regulatory issues raised by the use of AI in financial or crypto products is welcome but not required.

Responsibilities

• Advise product and business teams on the design structuring and launch of new products and features balancing commercial goals against regulatory requirements.

• Assess how crypto and web3 products fit within applicable regulatory frameworks and flag where licensing registration or structuring changes are needed.

• Produce clear regulatory analysis on questions such as token classification financial product and index classification derivatives and DeFi and turn it into practical positions for the business.

• Lead and support license applications end to end including preparing submissions responding to regulator questions and tracking conditions and obligations.

• Track regulatory developments across crypto web3 fintech and payments and translate them into practical guidance and action for the business.

• Identify legal and regulatory issues early and provide clear strategic guidance to stakeholders across the company.

• Embed compliance into product design including AML KYC sanctions and travel rule considerations.

• Review marketing and customer facing materials for regulatory compliance.

• Advise on and review paid placement sponsorship and other advertising and customer facing products for promotions and disclosure compliance.

• Advise on conflicts of interest including those arising from affiliated venues or group entities and help maintain independence and disclosure standards.

• Support ongoing regulatory compliance across markets and coordinate local counsel on multi jurisdiction questions.

• Draft and negotiate commercial contracts across business lines providing risk assessments and practical suggestions that protect the business while supporting growth.

• Respond to inquiries and information requests from internal teams external counterparties and regulators.

• Help build scalable internal guidance playbooks and processes so the business can move quickly while staying compliant.