Regulatory Lawyer

Position: Regulatory Lawyer (Covering Middle East)

Duration: 3-month contract (may be extended)

Based: Israel or UAE

Working Hours: 4 0r 5 days per week for 3 months

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Be responsible for handling regulatory legal issues relating to our business in the Middle East, and for providing strategic advice to cross-functional stakeholders relating to existing licences/registrations and potential future licence applications in key Middle Eastern markets.

• Monitor, report, and analyse trends and developments in payments and financial services regulation across the Middle East, actively identifying and anticipating changes that may impact business operations or strategic objectives.

• Partner closely with Product Legal, Regulatory Compliance, Risk and Financial Crime Compliance teams to ensure robust compliance with applicable laws and regulations in the region.

• Support local and global Product, Strategy, and Management teams and regional Commercial teams on new market entry and expansion of regulatory licence(s) in the Middle East, including regulatory mapping and licensing advice.

• Liaise with senior Airwallex stakeholders globally, providing timely, pragmatic regulatory legal advice and risk assessments on business initiatives impacting the Middle East.

• Manage external legal counsel and consultants in the region, ensuring high-quality, cost-effective support aligned with Airwallex's business drivers and risk appetite.

• Leverage AI and other tooling to enhance the scale, efficiency and effectiveness of the Regulatory Legal team.

• Provide legal advice on Airwallex's regulatory compliance obligations with respect to ongoing regulatory compliance and submission of regulatory reports and filings in relevant Middle Eastern jurisdictions, partnering with the Regulatory Compliance team to support timely and accurate filings.

• Support government relations outreach to legislators and regulatory agencies in key Middle Eastern markets (e.g. central banks, financial services regulators and free-zone regulators), helping to shape policy and regulatory approaches relevant to the business.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Qualified lawyer with around 6-8 years of relevant post-qualification experience (P3 level).

• Strong regulatory experience gained in the fintech industry, reputable law firms and/or financial institutions, with a focus on payments, e-money, FX, remittance and/or card issuing in Middle Eastern markets.

• A mix of private practice and in-house experience is ideal but not mandatory.

• Demonstrated success advising on regulatory matters and handling regulatory submissions, filings and regulatory strategy, ideally including direct engagement with central banks, financial services regulators and/or free-zone regulators in the Middle East.

• Strong understanding of the financial services regulatory environment in the Middle East, particularly as it relates to payments, remittance, FX, issuing and digital financial services.

• Experience supporting expansion into new markets and launching new regulatory licences in the fintech, payments, or financial services sectors will be advantageous.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally and build trust with business, legal, compliance and external counsel stakeholders.

• Proactive, results-driven, and ownership-oriented, with a clear track record of managing multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Fluent in English, with strong drafting and negotiation skills; additional languages used in the region (e.g. Arabic) are an advantage.

• Ability to influence, explain complex legal topics to non-lawyers, and frame business-relevant, risk-balanced solutions.

• Collaborative team player, embraces managing ambiguity, and thriving in fast-paced, evolving environments.