---
title: 'Counsel - Regulatory (UK) at Kraken'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/counsel-regulatory-uk-kraken-united-kingdom-s0fn2xn58ecf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-11'
---

# Counsel - Regulatory (UK) at Kraken

- **Company:** [Kraken](https://feeny.ai/companies/kraken)
- **Location:** United Kingdom
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-11
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/kraken.com/da8b1179-9caa-464c-8eee-395132814f91

## 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 Regulatory Legal team, the group responsible for maintaining and growing Kraken's product offerings across the EU and UK and for advising the business on its day-to-day regulatory obligations. We're 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 Compliance, Product, and senior leadership to keep our licensed entities running smoothly and our regulators well served. You will operate as a practical legal generalist with focus on:

- Product advice covering Payward's growing offerings in the UK (Krak card, payments and staking, among other things)
- Cryptoasset Regime Compliance (under the UK Cryptoasset Regime) — advising on regulatory obligations for CASPs including supporting on the steady flow of regulatory queries, notifications and supervisory correspondence that keeps our licensed entities compliant and our regulatory relationships strong; and
- Payments & e-money compliance — advising on regulatory obligations affecting our e-money and payment accounts and supporting related workstreams as they arise

We're looking for a hands-on lawyer with strong regulatory fluency and a track record of independently owning BAU regulatory relationships (ideally honed in the regulated financial sector). This is a fully remote role for a qualified lawyer in the UK

The opportunity

- Provide legal support on cryptoasset, e-money and payment services regulatory requirements, including advising on account-access obligations and related operational compliance questions
- Support the team's active licensing applications and other in-flight UK licensing or registration workstreams, including compiling application materials and coordinating with outside counsel
- Provide regulatory support on corporate transactions and structural changes affecting UK entities (e.g., change-of-control notifications, corporate client migrations)
- Support the day-to-day relationship with regulators for our licensed entities
- Translate complex regulatory frameworks (e.g., the UK Cryptoasset Regime, FCA rulebooks, AML/CTF, operational resilience requirements (e.g., the FCA/PRA regime), outsourcing requirements, and e-money and payment services regulation) into pragmatic, actionable guidance for the business
- Foster a culture of clarity, favouring plain-English communication, measurable risk tradeoffs, and decision-ready recommendations

## What you bring

- Qualified lawyer (Solicitor/Barrister of England & Wales, or equivalent)
- 6+ years' post-qualification experience (PQE) in financial services regulatory law gained at a regulated financial services institution (e.g., a bank, payment institution, broker-dealer, exchange, or crypto services provider) or in a law firm/private practice supporting such clients, with demonstrated ability to independently own BAU regulatory workstreams
- Direct experience supporting regulator engagement with the FCA (or equivalent regulator), including notifications, information requests, and supervisory correspondence
- Substantive experience advising on the UK Cryptoasset Regime (i.e., FCA authorisation for regulated cryptoasset activities under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026)
- Substantive experience with e-money and payment services regulation in the UK, including account-access and open banking obligations
- Experience in AML/CTF (anti-money laundering / counter-terrorist financing), including advising on related policies, controls, and regulatory expectations
- Experience advising on outsourcing arrangements and operational resilience compliance (e.g., the FCA/PRA operational resilience regime)
- Outstanding analytical, drafting, and organisational skills with crisp, plain-English writing
- Ability to efficiently and confidently distill complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for non-lawyer stakeholders
- Pragmatic, commercially accountable approach to legal and regulatory risk that prioritises providing stakeholders with a useful range of options and clear recommendations
- Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and owning a broad, fast-moving BAU workload from day one

Nice to haves

- Familiarity with the UK's onshored MiFID regime (as retained and modified under UK law, originally derived from EU MiFID II) and its application to investment services, including derivatives, equities, and emerging tokenised financial instruments
- Experience supporting change-of-control notifications or other regulatory aspects of corporate transactions
- 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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