Counsel - Regulatory (UK)

kraken.com; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Kraken is seeking a hands-on Regulatory Lawyer to support cryptoasset, e-money and payments regulatory requirements for UK and EU activities. You will lead regulatory engagements with the FCA, assist with licensing, and advise on corporate transactions affecting UK entities.

You will translate complex regulatory regimes into practical guidance, own BAU regulatory relationships, and partner with Compliance, Product, and senior leadership to keep operations compliant and regulators well served.

Qualifications

• 6+ years' post-qualification experience in financial services regulatory law.
• Experience supporting regulator engagement with the FCA including notifications and information requests.
• Substantive experience with the UK Cryptoasset Regime (FCA authorisation under the Cryptoassets Regulations).
• Experience with e-money and payment services regulation in the UK.
• Experience with AML/CTF policies, controls and regulatory expectations.
• Experience advising on outsourcing and operational resilience regimes.

Responsibilities

• Provide legal support on cryptoasset, e-money and payment services regulatory requirements.
• Support licensing applications and UK registrations; coordinate with outside counsel.
• Provide regulatory support on corporate transactions and changes affecting UK entities.
• Manage day-to-day relationship with regulators for licensed entities.
• Translate complex regulatory frameworks into practical, actionable guidance for the business.
• Foster clear, plain-English communication and risk tradeoffs.

Skills

Regulatory law

FCA engagement

Regulatory drafting

Regulatory risk

Policy communication

Education

Qualified lawyer (England & Wales)

Job description

Building the Future of Open Finance

Payward - 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.

The team

Founded in 2011, Kraken is one of the world's longest-standing crypto platforms, trusted by over 10 million individuals and institutions across the globe. It offers spot trading, margin, futures, staking, and OTC services, with products built for both individual investors and institutional clients.

Join our Regulatory Legal team, 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.

You will operate as a practical legal generalist with focus on:

• Product advice covering Payward's growing offerings in the UK (Krak card, payments and staking, among other things)

• Cryptoasset Regime Compliance (under the UK Cryptoasset Regime) — 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; and

• Payments & 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

The opportunity

• 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 UK licensing or registration workstreams, including compiling application materials and coordinating with outside counsel
• Provide regulatory support on corporate transactions and structural changes affecting 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., the UK Cryptoasset Regime, FCA rulebooks, AML/CTF, operational resilience requirements (e.g., the FCA/PRA regime), 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 you bring

• Qualified lawyer (Solicitor/Barrister of England & Wales, or equivalent)
• 6+ 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 with the FCA (or equivalent regulator), including notifications, information requests, and supervisory correspondence
• Substantive experience advising on the UK Cryptoasset Regime (i.e., FCA authorisation for regulated cryptoasset activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026)
• Substantive experience with e-money and payment services regulation in the UK, 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., the FCA/PRA operational resilience regime)
• 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 the UK's onshored MiFID regime (as retained and modified under UK law, originally derived from EU 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

Unless 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.

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories for employment on our team, assessing candidates in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Our commitment

Payward 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. We hire based on merit, seeking out people with the right abilities, knowledge, and skills for the job. We encourage you to apply for roles where you don't fully meet the listed requirements, especially if you're passionate or knowledgeable about crypto.

We may ask candidates to complete job-related skills or work-style assessments as part of our hiring process. These assessments evaluate competencies relevant to the role and are applied consistently across candidates for similar positions. Results are considered alongside experience and interviews, and are not the sole basis for any employment decision.

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.