Sr. Counsel - Regulatory

Kraken

2d • Remote

About The Position

Payward, the parent company behind Kraken, is building the future of Open Finance. Kraken, founded in 2011, is a leading crypto platform with over 10 million users globally, offering a range of services including spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services. The Regulatory Legal team is 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. This team is composed of experienced lawyers from diverse backgrounds who partner with Compliance, Product, and senior leadership. The Senior Counsel role is a remote position based in the UK or EU, reporting to the EU/UK Regulatory Legal team. This role will manage the ongoing, business-as-usual regulatory work, allowing senior lawyers to focus on strategic licensing, complex transactions, and team leadership. The role requires a practical legal generalist with a focus on product advice for Payward's EU/UK offerings (e.g., Krak card, payments, staking), Cryptoasset Regime Compliance (MiCA/EU or UK), and Payments & e-money compliance.

Requirements

• Qualified 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 workstreams.
• Direct experience supporting regulator engagement (e.g., with the CBI, FCA, or an equivalent EU competent authority), including notifications, information requests, and supervisory correspondence.
• Substantive experience advising on MiCA or the UK Cryptoasset Regime (i.e., 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.
• Substantive experience with e-money and payment services regulation in the EU or UK (experience in one jurisdiction is sufficient; both is not required), including account-access and open banking obligations.
• Experience in AML/CTF (anti-money laundering / counter-terrorist financing), including advising on related policies, controls, and regulatory expectations.
• Experience 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 writing.
• Ability to efficiently and confidently distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer stakeholders.
• Pragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that prioritises providing stakeholders with a useful range of options and clear recommendations.
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and owning a broad, fast-moving BAU workload from day one.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with MiFID II and its application to investment services, including derivatives, equities, and emerging tokenised financial instruments.
• Experience supporting change-of-control notifications or other regulatory aspects of corporate transactions.
• An authentic interest in crypto and digital assets, and familiarity with Payward’s and competitors’ products.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support on cryptoasset, e-money and payment services regulatory requirements, including advising on account-access obligations and related operational compliance questions.
• Support the team’s active licensing applications and other in-flight EU/UK licensing or registration workstreams, including compiling application materials and coordinating with outside counsel.
• Provide 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 entities.
• Translate 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 business.
• Foster a culture of clarity, favouring plain-English communication, measurable risk tradeoffs, and decision-ready recommendations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed