Senior Lawyer (Digital Assets / Payments) - Global Financial Institution

The Stephen James Partnership; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK digital bank is seeking an experienced Senior Payments & Digital Assets Lawyer to provide legal expertise at the intersection of financial services and technology. This hybrid role requires a UK qualified lawyer with 8–10+ years PQE in payments law, a background in big law or fintech, and a desire to delve into the digital assets space. The position offers competitive salary, bonus potential, and excellent benefits including a strong pension contribution and private health insurance.

Benefits

Strong pension contribution (10%)

Private health insurance

Bonus

Strong work/life balance offering

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years of post-qualification experience (PQE) required.
• Experience in payments law and digital assets is highly relevant.
• Background in legal firms, banking, or fintech is crucial.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic legal advice across digital assets and payments.
• Engage with regulators and compliance matters.
• Collaborate with various teams in a technology-driven environment.

Skills

Payments law

Digital assets

Compliance (KYC, AML, GDPR)

Regulatory engagement

Education

UK qualified lawyer

Job description

Senior Payments & Digital Assets Lawyer

Location: Hybrid – London (2 days only in the office!)

Salary: Competitive

Are you an experienced Payments Lawyer?

Are you keen to move into the crypto and digital assets space?

We are supporting a leading UK digital bank on a strategic senior legal hire within its high‑performing legal team. This role offers a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of payments, technology and digital innovation, helping to shape the future of financial services.

While experience in crypto, tokenisation or stablecoins would be welcomed, the client recognises this is still a developing area. What they are truly looking for is a strong Payments lawyer with a genuine appetite to step into the digital assets space.

The Role

You will provide senior, strategic legal advice across:

• Digital assets, tokenisation, stablecoins, programmable payments and emerging technologies
• Payments and financial services regulation (UK and international)
• Product development and go‑to‑market initiatives
• Engagement with regulators, industry bodies and key external stakeholders
• Compliance matters including KYC, AML, GDPR and retail investing regulations

You will work closely with product, technology and business teams in a fast‑paced, technology‑led environment.

The Ideal Profile

• UK qualified lawyer, 8–10+ PQE
• Must be a Payments lawyer
• Background in Big Law, banking, fintech or payments businesses
• Experience at organisations such as Binance, Coinbase, Barclays, JPM or similar is highly relevant
• More traditional payments backgrounds are welcomed, provided there is a clear desire to evolve into digital assets

Practical Details

• Location: London (hybrid – 2 days per week in the office)
• Salary: Competitive and bonus
• Benefits: Strong pension contribution (10%), private health insurance, bonus and a strong work/life balance offering.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Payments specialist looking to move into a dynamic, future‑facing area within one of the UK’s most innovative digital banking environments.