As a Legal Counsel, you will leverage your expertise in international financial regulations to ensure the company’s operations adhere to all relevant legal standards. You will be responsible for handling complex legal inquiries from regulatory bodies and financial institutions, and drafting and reviewing a wide array of legal agreements.
Your regular tasks * Drive and be in charge of financial licensing processes in the EU, UK and other regions * Maintain and open a correspondent and operational bank account(s) * Deal with complex legal requests and RFIs (banks, authorities) * Stay abreast of all applicable financial regulations, including banking, EMIs, PIs, PASEP, anti-money laundering (AML), know your customer (KYC), and data protection laws and implement necessary changes * Update compliance programs according to the requirements of the company regulators * Be in charge of regulatory reporting, AML and other relevant audits * Be in charge of company governance policies and regulatory responsibilities updates * Be in charge of the licensing process during the expansion to the new regions * Record keeping and structuring of the company’s relevant documentation and information * Develop and implement corporate compliance and governance programs applicable to the group of companies * Improve company policies according to applicable regulatory standards across KYB, AML, Anti-Fraud and compliance functions * Draft agreements, such as NDA, MSA, Employment Agreement, Outsourcing agreement, Loan Agreement, Outstaffing Agreement, etc * Serve as a primary liaison for correspondence with local law firms, auditors, and regulators * Conduct audits before relationships with third-party vendors, service providers, financial providers, banks, payment systems and partners * Report regularly to the CEO and head of operations on regulatory issues and/or proposals * Lead the response to crises and emergencies, maintaining business continuity and minimising risks
Skills & expectations * Minimum of 3 years of experience in a Legal Counsel/ Legal Advisor/Lawyer position in regulated companies, with a track record of acquiring and maintaining EU/UK EMI, bank, payment companies or PI licenses * Understanding of international corporate law, general tax principles, due diligence for corporate entities, and EU licensing and compliance principles * Proven experience in enhancing company compliance with regulatory obligations, ideally having worked in organisations that transitioned from startup to established enterprise levels * Experience opening international bank accounts, correspondent bank accounts, and communication with regulators * Experience drafting agreements, such as NDA, MSA, Employment Agreement, etc * Experience dealing with audits, correspondent and corporate bank accounts, etc * Fluent level of English proficiency * Master’s degree in law
As a plus * Knowledge of the regulatory framework in Malta or experience working with the MFSA * Familiarity with the legal aspects of digital payments, anti-fraud measures, and transaction monitoring
