Sr. Counsel - Regulatory

About the Role

Kraken is seeking a Senior Counsel to join the EU/UK Regulatory Legal team. This fully remote position is based in the UK or EU and reports directly into the EU/UK Regulatory Legal leadership. The role exists to manage the high volume of ongoing, business-as-usual regulatory work across our licensed entities in the UK and Europe—freeing senior leadership to focus on strategic licensing initiatives, complex transactions, and team growth.

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

• Product Advice: Advising on Payward’s expanding offerings in the EU and UK (including Krak card, payments, and staking).
• Cryptoasset Regime Compliance: Guiding regulatory obligations for CASPs under MiCA (EU) or the UK Cryptoasset Regime, including managing supervisory correspondence, notifications, and regulatory queries.
• Payments & E-Money Compliance: Advising on obligations affecting e-money and payment accounts and supporting related operational workstreams.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide practical legal advice on cryptoasset, e-money, and payment services requirements, including account-access obligations and operational compliance.
• Support active licensing applications and in-flight registration workstreams across the EU and UK, compiling materials and liaising with external counsel.
• Offer regulatory support on corporate transactions, structural changes, change-of-control notifications, and corporate client migrations.
• Support day-to-day engagement with key regulatory bodies (e.g., FCA, CBI, and EU competent authorities).
• Translate complex regulations (MiCA, UK Cryptoasset Regime, AML/CTF, DORA, outsourcing rules) into pragmatic, actionable recommendations for business teams.
• Maintain plain-English communication, structured risk trade-offs, and decision-ready advice.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Legal Qualification: Qualified Solicitor/Barrister of England & Wales, Irish Solicitor/Barrister, or equivalent admitted in an EU Member State.
• Experience: 10+ years of post-qualification experience (PQE) in financial services regulatory law at a regulated institution (bank, payment institution, broker-dealer, exchange, or crypto provider) or leading law firm.
• Regulator Engagement: Demonstrated experience handling direct engagement with regulators (e.g., FCA, CBI, or EU authorities), including notifications and supervisory correspondence.
• Substantive Expertise: Strong familiarity with MiCA or the UK Cryptoasset Regime (experience in one regime is sufficient).
• Payments & E-Money: Hands-on experience with e-money and payment services regulation in the EU or UK, including open banking/account-access rules.
• Compliance Frameworks: Knowledge of AML/CTF rules, outsourcing arrangements, and operational resilience standards (e.g., DORA, FCA/PRA regimes).
• Communication & Execution: Exceptional drafting skills, plain-English clarity, high autonomy, and a pragmatic, business-focused approach to risk.

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with MiFID II and its application to investment services, derivatives, equities, or tokenised financial instruments.
• Experience supporting change-of-control notifications or corporate transactions.
• An interest in crypto, digital assets, and Kraken's product ecosystem.