General Counsel

Kingsley Green Recruitment; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Kingsley Green Recruitment represents a fast-growing international fintech and digital assets business seeking a senior General Counsel in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The GC will shape the legal strategy, partner with the CEO and Board, and drive regulatory programmes while remaining closely aligned with commercial priorities.

The role requires extensive in-house experience, a strong record in international transactions and regulatory matters, and a pragmatic, commercial approach to risk.

Qualifications

• Senior lawyer with fintech, payments, or financial services experience.
• Experience advising CEOs and Boards on regulatory and commercial matters.
• Strong track record in international regulatory matters and cross-border transactions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as trusted adviser to CEO, Board and leadership.
• Lead regulatory, commercial, corporate and product law strategy.
• Drive licensing and regulatory programmes across jurisdictions.
• Partner with Product, Technology and Commercial teams on new products and partnerships.
• Lead significant commercial negotiations with institutions and partners.
• Oversee governance, data protection, employment and related matters.
• Manage external counsel to ensure cost-effective, commercially focused advice.
• Build and scale the in-house legal function, incorporating AI and tech tooling.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Contract negotiations

Stakeholder management

In-house legal

Job description

Our client is a fast-growing, international regulated financial technology business operating across digital assets, payments and financial markets.

This is a senior, high-impact opportunity for a commercially minded General Counsel to join the business at an important stage of international growth. Working closely with the CEO, Board and senior leadership team, you will shape the legal strategy while remaining close to the commercial and operational priorities of the business.

The Opportunity

• Act as a trusted legal adviser to the CEO , Board and senior leadership team.
• Lead the legal strategy across regulatory, commercial, corporate and product matters.
• Drive licensing and regulatory programmes across multiple international jurisdictions.
• Partner with Product, Technology and Commercial teams on new products, partnerships and routes to market.
• Lead significant commercial negotiations with institutional clients, financial institutions, strategic partners and technology providers.
• Oversee corporate governance, group structure, data protection, employment and wider legal matters.
• Manage external counsel across jurisdictions, ensuring advice is commercially focused and cost-effective.
• Build and develop the in-house legal function as the business scales.
• Help shape how the legal function operates, including the adoption of AI and legal technology.

We are looking for a senior lawyer with significant experience in fintech, payments, financial services, digital assets or financial markets, ideally with substantial in-house experience.

You will bring a strong track record across international transactions, regulatory matters and commercial negotiations, with experience advising senior executives and Boards. UK financial services regulatory experience is highly relevant, alongside exposure to international regulatory frameworks.

Most importantly, you will be commercial, pragmatic and solutions-focused. You will be comfortable operating with autonomy, navigating ambiguity and balancing legal risk with business objectives. You will bring sound judgement, strong stakeholder skills and the ability to translate complex legal issues into clear commercial decisions.

This is an opportunity to take a genuinely influential leadership position within a high-growth international business and play a central role in shaping its next phase of development.