Head of Regulatory and Licensing

Head of Regulatory & Licensing About the Role We are looking for a senior Regulatory & Licensing leader to own the regulatory strategy and licensing execution for our multi-market expansion. You will determine where we enter, which regulatory pathway we pursue, how we structure the application, and what it will take to obtain a licence and launch on time. This is a growth-facing regulatory role — not a traditional compliance role focused on maintaining existing licences. You will turn regulatory uncertainty into clear market-entry decisions, executable licensing plans and predictable timelines. You will work directly with the CEO, Board, regulators, external advisers and senior functional leaders, and will be accountable for the successful delivery of our licensing roadmap. What You'll Do Regulatory Strategy & Market Entry

• Lead regulatory feasibility assessments for new markets and determine the optimal jurisdiction, licence type and entry strategy
• Assess alternative routes including direct licensing, existing licensed entities, partnerships, passporting where applicable, or acquisition of regulated entities
• Translate regulatory requirements into clear business, capital, governance, substance and resource requirements
• Assess regulatory developments and their potential impact on business strategy and market-entry plans Licensing & Regulatory Engagement
• Lead end-to-end licence applications, from initial feasibility assessment through submission, regulatory review and approval
• Own and authorise the preparation of licensing application packs, business plans, regulatory submissions and supporting materials
• Lead meetings, discussions and correspondence with regulators, including responding to regulatory questions and information requests
• Build and maintain credible, long-term relationships with regulators across key jurisdictions
• Establish a consistent and well-controlled company position when communicating with regulators Market Entry Programme Management
• Act as the Program Owner for regulatory market entry, coordinating Finance, Legal, HR, Company Secretariat, Compliance and other functions
• Establish licensing workplans, milestones, dependencies, owners and deadlines
• Identify regulatory blockers early and drive cross-functional resolution
• Select, appoint and manage local regulatory counsel and advisers in each jurisdiction
• Maintain an executive-level view of licensing progress, risks, dependencies and timeline variance
• Own the outcome of delivering applications and obtaining licences within agreed timelines Your Authority
• Escalate directly to the CEO and Board with recommendations to enter, delay, restructure or pause a market based on regulatory feasibility and risk
• Set deadlines and require functional teams to provide application materials and information required for regulatory submissions
• Select and manage external regulatory advisers within the approved mandate and budget
• Own the company's regulatory position and the overall communication strategy with regulators
• Challenge business plans, timelines or market-entry assumptions where regulatory requirements make the proposed approach unrealistic What We're Looking For
• 8+ years of experience in financial regulation, regulatory affairs, licensing or regulatory market entry
• Proven experience leading at least one licensing application end-to-end, from feasibility assessment through to approval, and participation in at least two additional licensing projects
• Able to clearly explain the actual timeline, regulatory process, key blockers and personal contribution for each licensing project
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks across at least three relevant jurisdictions
• Direct experience engaging with financial regulators and the ability to communicate with regulators credibly and independently
• Strong understanding of licensing requirements across areas such as fintech, payments, FX, securities, digital assets or other regulated financial services
• Able to translate regulatory requirements into an actionable timeline, resource plan and market-entry strategy
• Strong programme management skills and the ability to drive senior stakeholders across multiple functions
• Comfortable making commercially relevant decisions with incomplete or evolving regulatory information
• Professional working proficiency in English Nice to Have
• Previous experience working directly within a financial regulatory authority, subject to applicable cooling-off and post-employment restrictions
• Regulatory Affairs or Licensing experience within a licensed fintech, payments, FX, digital assets or financial services company
• Experience managing multiple jurisdictions and licensing projects simultaneously
• Experience with both greenfield licensing and acquisition/transition of existing licensed entities What You'll Deliver in Year One Within 60 days
• Deliver an 18-month regulatory and licensing roadmap covering all priority markets
• Complete initial regulatory feasibility assessments and identify the recommended licensing pathway for each market Within 90 days
• Appoint and onboard local regulatory advisers for each priority jurisdiction
• Establish the licensing governance structure, workstreams, milestones and reporting cadence Within 5–6 months
• Finalise and submit the company's first new-market licensing application
• Establish a regulator engagement plan and manage all material regulatory queries through submission Quarterly
• Refresh the regulatory roadmap based on regulatory developments, application progress and business priorities
• Report licensing progress, timeline variance, key regulatory risks and required executive decisions to the CEO and Board Success in This Role Success is not measured by the number of regulatory documents produced. It is measured by whether we can make the right market-entry decisions, choose the right regulatory pathway, maintain credible regulator relationships and obtain the licences required to execute our expansion — on time.