Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, APAC

Mesh•Ottawa, ON

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

Mesh is building the regulatory and payments infrastructure that will power the next generation of digital asset transactions across APAC. As our Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, you will play a central role in making that vision possible. Working closely with the CEO APAC and global Legal and Compliance leadership, you will serve as a trusted advisor on some of the company's most important commercial, product, and expansion decisions. From shaping market entry strategies to supporting enterprise partnerships and navigating emerging regulations across digital assets and payments, your work will have a direct impact on Mesh's growth trajectory. This is an opportunity for a builder who enjoys turning ambiguity into structure, creating practical solutions to complex regulatory challenges, and helping a fast-growing company unlock new opportunities across the region.

Requirements

Qualified lawyer with 10+ years of experience in financial services, fintech, payments, or digital assets.
Deep APAC regulatory expertise, including direct engagement with regulators such as MAS, HKMA, FSC, FSA, and other regional authorities, with experience navigating complex regulatory matters across multiple jurisdictions.
Strong understanding of digital assets, stablecoins, crypto payments, and related infrastructure, not just the regulatory frameworks, but how these systems operate in practice.
Experience advising on payments products, infrastructure, licensing, or regulatory regimes (e.g., MAS MPI, PSP and equivalent frameworks).
Comfortable operating in ambiguity, developing positions where precedent may not exist, and helping shape strategy in rapidly evolving regulatory environments.
Commercially minded and pragmatic, with the judgment to balance risk, growth, and partnership objectives while enabling the business to move forward.
Exceptional communicator who can translate complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for executives, product, commercial, and operational teams.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a crypto exchange, fintech, neobank, payments company, or digital asset infrastructure provider is highly valued.
Familiarity with FATF Travel Rule requirements, VASP compliance frameworks, and cross-border digital asset regulation across APAC is a plus.
Existing relationships with APAC regulators, policymakers, or industry bodies are strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Own Mesh's regulatory strategy across APAC. Lead the region's licensing roadmap from defining regulatory positioning and activity classifications to driving licensing applications through to approval.
Build trusted regulatory relationships. Serve as Mesh's primary legal counterpart with regulators across APAC, while developing and managing a network of top-tier external counsel in key markets.
Turn regulatory change into business decisions. Stay ahead of developments across digital assets, stablecoins, VASP frameworks, and the Travel Rule, translating complex requirements into practical, decision-ready guidance.
Enable growth through strategic legal advice. Partner with business leaders on product structuring, market expansion, and commercial partnerships, while advising on agreements with exchanges, fintechs, payment providers, and financial institutions.
Represent Mesh in high-impact conversations. Join enterprise and strategic partnership discussions where regulatory credibility matters, providing confident, commercially minded legal leadership at the table.