Senior Counsel, Regulatory Law in Moffat

Building the Future of Open FinancePayward - the parent company behind Kraken, NinjaTrader, Breakout, xStocks, Payward Services and CF Benchmarks - has spent the last 15 years building one of the most modern and globally accessible financial infrastructure platforms in the industry, built to advance an open, global financial system. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients. Our Regulatory Legal team is the group responsible for maintaining and growing Kraken's product offerings across the EU and UK and for advising the business on its day-to-day regulatory obligations. We're a tight, experienced group of lawyers from a diverse range of tradfi, fintech, and crypto backgrounds who move fast, stay curious, and take pride in the commercial accountability of our advice – partnering directly with Compliance, Product, and senior leadership to keep our licensed entities running smoothly and our regulators well served. The Senior Counsel role is a remote role based in the UK or the EU, and will report into the EU/UK Regulatory Legal team. The role exists to own the significant volume of ongoing, business-as-usual regulatory work that currently falls to a small group of very senior lawyers – freeing them to focus on strategic licensing initiatives, complex transactions, and team leadership. You will operate as a practical legal generalist with focus on: Product advice covering Payward's growing offerings in the EU and UK (Krak card, payments and staking, among other things)Cryptoasset Regime Compliance (under MiCA/EU or in the UK) — advising on regulatory obligations for CASPs including supporting on the steady flow of regulatory queries, notifications and supervisory correspondence that keeps our licensed entities compliant and our regulatory relationships strong; andPayments & e-money compliance — advising on regulatory obligations affecting our e-money and payment accounts and supporting related workstreams as they arise. We're looking for a hands-on lawyer with strong regulatory fluency and a track record of independently owning BAU regulatory relationships (ideally honed in the regulated financial sector).This is a fully remote role for a qualified lawyer in the UK or EU.The opportunityProvide legal support on cryptoasset, e-money and payment services regulatory requirements, including advising on account-access obligations and related operational compliance questionsSupport the team's active licensing applications and other in-flight EU/UK licensing or registration workstreams, including compiling application materials and coordinating with outside counselProvide regulatory support on corporate transactions and structural changes affecting EU/UK entities (e.g., change-of-control notifications, corporate client migrations)Support the day-to-day relationship with regulators for our licensed entitiesTranslate complex regulatory frameworks (e.g., MiCA and the UK Cryptoasset Regime, CBI and FCA rulebooks, AML/CTF, DORA, outsourcing requirements, and e-money and payment services regulation) into pragmatic, actionable guidance for the businessFoster a culture of clarity, favouring plain-English communication, measurable risk tradeoffs, and decision-ready recommendationsWhat you bringQualified lawyer (Solicitor/Barrister of England & Wales, Irish Solicitor/Barrister, or equivalent admitted in an EU Member State)10+ years' post-qualification experience (PQE) in financial services regulatory law gained at a regulated financial services institution (e.g., a bank, payment institution, broker-dealer, exchange, or crypto services provider) or in a law firm/private practice supporting such clients, with demonstrated ability to independently own BAU regulatory workstreamsDirect experience supporting regulator engagement (e.g., FCA authorisation for regulated cryptoasset activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026) — experience with one regime is sufficient; both is not required), including account-access and open banking obligationsExperience in AML/CTF (anti-money laundering / counter-terrorist financing), including advising on related policies, controls, and regulatory expectationsExperience advising on outsourcing arrangements and operational resilience compliance (e.g., Digital Operational Resilience Act in the EU, or the FCA/PRA operational resilience regime in the UK)Outstanding analytical, drafting, and organisational skills with crisp, plain-English writingAbility to efficiently and confidently distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer stakeholdersPragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that prioritises providing stakeholders with a useful range of options and clear recommendationsComfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and owning a broad, fast-moving BAU workload from day oneNice to havesFamiliarity with MiFID II and its application to investment services, including derivatives, equities, and emerging tokenised financial instrumentsExperience supporting change-of-control notifications or other regulatory aspects of corporate transactionsAn authentic interest in crypto and digital assets, and familiarity with Payward's and competitors' productsUnless a specific application deadline is stated in the job posting, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Please note, applicants are permitted to redact or remove information on their resume that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. Our commitmentPayward is powered by people from around the world and we celebrate the diverse talents, backgrounds, contributions, and unique perspectives that everyone brings to the table. As an equal opportunity employer, we don't tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind, whether based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, citizenship, religion, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.