---
title: 'Assistant General Counsel – Product and Regulatory Legal (EU) at Kraken'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/assistant-general-counsel-product-and-regulatory-legal-eu-kraken-united-kingdom-011asgebj89y'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Assistant General Counsel – Product and Regulatory Legal (EU) at Kraken

- **Company:** [Kraken](https://feeny.ai/companies/kraken)
- **Location:** United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-15
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/kraken.com/a831f2fe-fd7f-4379-b7f9-bde67710b661

## 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.

Before you apply, we encourage you to explore our [culture page](https://www.kraken.com/culture) to understand what drives us and how we work.

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 Product and Regulatory Legal team, embedded with Kraken's Product, Design and Engineering teams to ship novel products and experiences that accelerate the global adoption of crypto. We are 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 Product, senior leadership and Compliance to chart clear, defensible paths to launch and to keep our licensed entities running smoothly. This is a senior product-facing legal role for the European Union. You will be the lawyer the business trusts on questions that cut across several regimes at once: for example, a single product such as a tokenised equity, a card, or an institutional custody and prime brokerage service can touch the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive ("MiFID II"), the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation ("MiCA"), the Payment Services Directive ("PSD2"), the Electronic Money Directive ("EMD2") and banking rules at the same time. You will bring clarity on which regime applies, what it requires, and how to launch within it.

The opportunity Reporting to the Head of Product Legal, you will act as a senior legal adviser to European leadership on new products, licensing structure and regulatory strategy.

- Own cross-functional product counselling for European Union launches from discovery to design, launch and iteration, giving Product, Engineering, Compliance and leadership decision-ready advice with clear options and risk trade-offs
- Advise on the regulatory perimeter and classification of new offerings across MiFID II and the Markets in Financial Instruments Regulation ("MiFIR"), MiCA, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation ("EMIR"), payment services and electronic money rules, and banking regulation, including where an instrument or service falls between regimes (for example tokenised securities, crypto-asset derivatives, margin and financing, and stablecoin-linked products)
- Advise on payments and electronic money offerings, including the Krak card and account propositions, safeguarding, open banking and account-access obligations, and the developing Payment Services Directive 3 and Payment Services Regulation framework
- Advise on banking-related questions that arise in the European Union, including bank partnerships and sponsor-bank arrangements, deposit-taking and lending perimeter questions, the Capital Requirements Regulation and Directive, and the interaction of these rules with our custody, prime brokerage and financing products
- Monitor and interpret European Union legislative and supervisory developments, take part in consultations and industry association work where appropriate, and translate their significance for the business proactively
- Draft and negotiate client-facing terms and conditions, taking clear, business-aligned positions
- Act as gatekeeper for European Union outside counsel engagements: scope the work, estimate and manage cost, and sign off before matters go externally
- Mentor and develop more junior lawyers in the team, set quality standards for plain-English, risk-based advice, and act as a senior sounding board for colleagues across the Regulatory Legal team
- Use AI-assisted tools (for example Enterprise GPTs) to speed up regulatory analysis, first drafts and matter tracking, and to build self-service tools that let stakeholders answer commoditised legal and regulatory questions themselves
- Advise on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements affecting products, including the Transfer of Funds Regulation ("Travel Rule") and the new European Union anti-money laundering package, and on market abuse, conduct, outsourcing and operational resilience obligations, including the Digital Operational Resilience Act ("DORA")
- Lead or oversee licensing, authorisation and variation workstreams in the European Union, including scoping requirements, mapping pathways, supervising outside counsel, preparing application materials and managing regulator interactions

## What you bring

- Qualified lawyer admitted in Ireland, England and Wales, or another European Union Member State
- 15 or more years' post-qualification experience ("PQE") in financial services regulatory law, gained at a regulated financial services institution (for example a bank, payment institution, broker-dealer, exchange, central counterparty or crypto services provider) or at a leading law firm supporting such clients, ideally with in-house or direct product counselling experience
- Deep, current knowledge of several of the following, with real depth in at least two: MiFID II and MiFIR (investment services, market structure, derivatives and conduct), MiCA (crypto-asset services, custody, trading platforms and stablecoins), European Union payment services and electronic money regulation, and European Union banking regulation
- Demonstrated ability to analyse novel products against overlapping regimes and give a clear view on classification and perimeter, including in areas where the rules are unsettled or supervisors have not yet spoken
- Direct experience managing senior regulator relationships, including notifications, information requests, supervisory correspondence and examinations
- Working knowledge of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, outsourcing and operational resilience obligations, including DORA
- Proven ability to instruct, supervise and manage the cost of outside counsel across multiple jurisdictions
- Outstanding analytical, drafting and organisational skills, with crisp, plain-English writing
- Ability to distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer stakeholders and for senior leadership
- A pragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that gives stakeholders a useful range of options and a clear recommendation
- Experience mentoring or managing lawyers, and the judgement to know when to escalate
- Comfort operating with a high degree of autonomy in a fast-moving, remote environment
- Familiarity with using AI tools such as Enterprise GPTs to increase the efficiency of legal services

Nice to haves

- Experience advising on tokenised securities and the European Union Distributed Ledger Technology Pilot Regime
- Experience with EMIR, including the clearing obligation, margin for non-centrally cleared derivatives and transaction reporting
- Experience with prime brokerage, securities financing, margin lending or institutional custody
- Experience advising on the United Kingdom cryptoasset regime or other non-European Union frameworks that intersect with European Union operations
- Experience supporting regulatory aspects of corporate transactions, such as change-of-control notifications and entity migrations
- Experience with European Union data protection and consumer protection rules as they apply to financial products
- Fluency in a second European language
- 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.

Stay connected [Follow us on Twitter](https://twitter.com/krakenfx) [Learn on the Kraken Blog](https://blog.kraken.com/#:~:text=Enter%20your%20email%20address) [Connect on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/kraken-exchange/)

[Candidate Privacy Notice](https://www.kraken.com/legal/candidate-privacy-notice)

## About Kraken

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Kraken is a global cryptocurrency exchange and technology platform that provides secure trading, custody, and financial services for retail and institutional clients.
- **Entity Type**: Private (last known valuation ~$10B as of 2023; multiple funding rounds from investors including Tribe Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, and others)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA (operates as a fully remote-first organization)
- **Founded**: 2011
- **Founders**: Jesse Powell (CEO)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Cryptocurrency exchange, digital asset custody, and financial technology.
- Target customers: B2C (retail investors, professional traders) and B2B (institutions, family offices, hedge funds).
- Mission: "Accelerate the global adoption of crypto, so that everyone can achieve financial freedom and inclusion."

## Products & Services
- **Spot & Margin Trading**: Buy/sell 200+ cryptocurrencies with advanced order types and leverage.
- **Kraken Pro**: Professional-grade trading interface for active traders with low fees and deep liquidity.
- **Futures & Derivatives**: Regulated crypto derivatives trading (Kraken Futures) for institutional and qualified retail clients.
- **Kraken Staking**: Earn rewards by staking supported assets directly on the platform.
- **Kraken NFT Marketplace**: Buy, sell, and mint NFTs across multiple blockchains.
- **Kraken Bank (US)**: Wyoming-chartered Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) offering custody and banking services for digital assets.
- **Kraken Wallet**: Self-custodial mobile wallet for managing crypto and NFTs.
- **Kraken Institutional**: Dedicated suite for institutions including OTC trading, custody, and prime brokerage.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed; last reported private valuation of approximately $10 billion in a 2023 secondary transaction (conflicting reports suggest a lower valuation in 2024 due to market conditions).
- **Key Metrics**: Over 10 million users globally; one of the longest-operating exchanges (since 2011); industry-first Proof of Reserves audit; $50+ billion in quarterly trading volume (estimated).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tribe Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Blockchain Capital, Fidelity, Human Capital, and others.
- **Growth Signals**: Grew from ~3,000 to over 4,000+ employees since 2020; entered new markets (e.g., stock and ETF trading in 2024); expanded into NFT marketplace and bank charter; consistently ranked among top trusted exchanges by security and transparency.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Security & Transparency**: Longest-running Proof of Reserves program; never suffered a major security breach; regulated in multiple jurisdictions (US, UK, EU, Canada).
- **Global Remote Culture**: Fully remote-first since inception, hiring top talent from 70+ countries without location constraints.
- **Crypto-Native**: Leadership deeply embedded in crypto ethos; products built for both beginners and advanced traders.
- **Regulatory Compliance**: Licensed in key markets and operates a US bank, giving it an edge as regulatory scrutiny increases.

## Strategic Focus
- **Expand Product Suite**: Moving beyond pure crypto into stocks, ETFs, and traditional finance integration (via Kraken Bank).
- **Institutional Growth**: Doubling down on prime brokerage, custody, and OTC services to capture institutional flows.
- **Global Licensing**: Securing regulatory approvals in more jurisdictions (e.g., EU MiCA, UK FCA) to serve local markets.
- **Self-Custody & DeFi**: Investing in wallet infrastructure and decentralized finance capabilities for user sovereignty.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Kraken describes itself as "remote-first, not remote-friendly." Asynchronous communication, radical transparency, and extreme ownership are core. Team members from 70+ countries.
- **Work Arrangement**: Fully remote globally; no headquarters attendance required. Flexible schedule with async workflows.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive salary regardless of location; option to be paid in crypto; equity grants; flexible PTO; wellness program (fitness coach, wellbeing apps); mental health coaching for employees and dependents; remote workstation setup bonus.
- **Hiring Process**: Structured, fully virtual process including CV screen, talent screen, role-specific interviews, and a practical case study. Emphasis on crypto conviction, self-starters, and collaborative humility.
- **Engineering Culture**: High ownership, autonomy, and impact. Decisions documented in writing; performance evaluated on output rather than hours. "Dogfooding" the product is encouraged.

## Sources
1. [Kraken Careers](https://www.kraken.com/careers)
2. [Kraken Job Listings (Ashby)](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/kraken.com)
3. [Kraken Culture Page](https://www.kraken.com/culture)
4. [The Kraken Employee Value Proposition - Kraken Blog](https://blog.kraken.com/news/the-kraken-employee-value-proposition)
5. [Remote isn’t a perk. It’s how Kraken operates. - Kraken Blog](https://blog.kraken.com/news/industry-news/remote-is-how-kraken-operates)

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