Sr. Counsel – Regulatory

Overview

In this Senior Counsel role, you will provide hands-on regulatory support for Payward’s EU/UK crypto, e-money, and payments offerings. You will manage BAU regulatory work, licensing processes, and regulator interactions to keep licensed entities compliant. You will translate complex regulatory regimes into practical guidance for cross-functional teams. You will work autonomously in a fast-moving environment, helping shape the regulatory posture and risk-aware decision making. This is a chance to influence regulatory strategy while supporting the business’s growth in open finance.

Responsibilities

• Provide regulatory guidance on cryptoasset, e-money, and payment services requirements for EU/UK offerings
• Manage licensing applications and in-flight EU/UK licensing workstreams, including coordination with outside counsel
• Support regulatory aspects of corporate transactions and structural changes affecting EU/UK entities
• Maintain day-to-day regulator relationships for licensed entities
• Translate MiCA, UK Cryptoasset Regime, AML/CTF, DORA, outsourcing, and open banking rules into actionable business guidance
• Foster clear, plain-English communication and practical risk-based recommendations
• Operate with autonomy to manage a broad BAU workload from day one

Key requirements

• Qualified lawyer (Solicitor/Barrister in England & Wales, Irish or equivalent in EU)
• 10+ years PQE in financial services regulatory law at a regulated institution or law firm/private practice
• Direct experience engaging with regulators (e.g., CBI, FCA) including notifications and supervisory correspondence
• Substantive experience with MiCA or UK Cryptoasset Regime (Cryptoassets Regulations 2026)
• Substantive experience with EU/UK e-money and payment services regulation (account-access/open banking)
• AML/CTF experience including policy and regulatory expectations
• Experience advising on outsourcing arrangements and operational resilience (EU/DORA or UK FCA/PRA)
• Strong analytical, drafting, and organizational skills; clear plain-English writing
• Ability to distill complex issues into actionable guidance for non-lawyers
• Pragmatic, commercially accountable approach with ability to handle fast-moving BAU
• Comfort with high autonomy and broad scope from day one

• Analytical thinking
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Commercial pragmatism
• MiCA
• UK Cryptoasset Regime
• AML/CTF regulatory frameworks

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