Senior Legal Counsel (Regulatory)

You will provide strategic legal guidance across KAST's UK, EU and Middle East operations. You'll work closely with Product, Compliance and GTM/Business teams to ensure compliance across UK, EU, and Middle Eastern regulatory frameworks, and support KAST's engagement with regulators and industry groups. This role is ideal for you if you thrive in fast-moving environments and are passionate about building the legal foundations for the future of money.

Responsibilities

• Advise the business on compliance and legal issues related to structuring new and existing stablecoin, payments, and card products and features
• Expand KAST's product offering in line with regulatory requirements
• Draft and maintain customer-facing legal documents including Terms of Service, user agreements, and product-specific disclosures
• Manage and advise on UK, EU, Middle East, financial services, digital asset and privacy regulatory requirements
• Monitor and advise on developments from the FCA, EBA, ESMA, ECB, CBUAE, VARA, DFSA, FSRA and relevant national competent authorities and their impact on KAST's regional business
• Own KAST's global data privacy legal function
• Collaborate with Product and Commercial teams to design compliant product structures for retail and institutional clients, including card program agreements
• Draft, review, and negotiate commercial agreements with counterparties, including service providers, partners and institutional clients
• Support card programme compliance under Visa/Mastercard network rules and relevant EEA/UK issuing frameworks
• Ensure robust compliance with UK, EU, Middle East financial services regulation including AML/CTF, OFAC, sanctions and Travel Rule as applicable
• Manage and oversee outside counsel relationships, including firm selection, matter scoping, and legal spend
• Engage proactively with regional regulators and industry associations to advocate for clear, innovation-friendly frameworks

Requirements

• 5+ years of PQE - qualification in England & Wales or EU Member State; dual qualification (e.g. UK + EU jurisdiction) an advantage
• Experience advising on digital assets (and payments), including time at a top law firm or in-house
• Strong knowledge of the FCA regulatory framework and UK financial services law; working knowledge of EU financial services regulation (MiCA, PSD2, EMD2, MLD5/6) and at least one MENA regulatory framework
• Hands-on data privacy expertise - UK GDPR and/or EU GDPR advisory experience
• Familiarity with AML/CTF, sanctions compliance, and Travel Rule obligations in a EMEA context
• Excellent communicator and stakeholder manager, with the ability to take decisions where there is ambiguity and translate complex regulation into practical business guidance
• Comfortable working across multiple jurisdictions simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-growth environment