Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, APAC

Remote from: APAC
Annual salary: Undisclosed
Salary information is not provided for this position. Check our Salary Directory to estimate the average compensation for similar roles.
Department: Legal & Compliance
Employment type: Full Time,
Job posted: 16 Jun 2026
Apply before: 16 Jul 2026
Experience level: Director
Views / Applies: 15 / 8

About Mesh

Mesh is building the first global crypto payments network—pay or get paid instantly, from any wallet, on any chain, anywhere in the world.

Financial Services
2020

AI Summary

Mesh is seeking a Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs for APAC to lead licensing, regulatory strategy, and compliance in digital assets and payments. The role involves building relationships with regulators like MAS and HKMA, advising on product structuring and partnerships, and navigating complex regulatory frameworks. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of legal experience in fintech or crypto, deep APAC regulatory expertise, and a proactive, commercially-minded approach. This is a high-impact opportunity at a fast-growing company backed by leading investors.

Role DNA

Job Complexity

Easy Hard

Pace & Pressure

Relaxed Fast-paced

Autonomy Level

Guided Full Ownership

Communication Load

Independent Highly Collaborative

AI Insight The role requires expert-level regulatory knowledge across multiple APAC jurisdictions, 10+ years of experience, and the ability to navigate ambiguity in a rapidly evolving field, making it extremely challenging.

Salary Analysis

AI Insight Salary not provided; based on US market for Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs in fintech/crypto, the median is approximately $220,000. This is competitive for the seniority and specialization required.

Key Skills

Regulatory Strategy Digital Assets APAC Licensing Compliance Fintech Crypto Payments Legal Advisory Stakeholder Management Risk Management Cross-border Regulations

Cover Letter Sample

Dear Hiring Team,

I am writing to express my strong interest in the Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, APAC position at Mesh. With over 10 years of experience advising financial services and fintech companies on regulatory strategy across APAC, I have a proven track record of navigating complex licensing frameworks and building trusted relationships with regulators such as MAS, HKMA, and FSA. My deep understanding of digital assets, stablecoins, and payment systems, combined with a pragmatic, commercially-minded approach, aligns perfectly with Mesh's mission to enable crypto payments.

In my previous role at a leading digital asset infrastructure provider, I led the licensing roadmap for multiple APAC markets, turning regulatory ambiguity into actionable business strategies. I have extensive experience advising on product structuring, cross-border compliance, and enterprise partnerships, and I thrive in fast-paced environments where I can enable growth while managing risk. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to Mesh's vision and help shape the regulatory landscape for the next generation of payments.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to discussing how my expertise can support Mesh's expansion in APAC.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Possible Interview Questions

How would you approach developing a licensing strategy for a new digital asset product across multiple APAC jurisdictions with varying regulatory maturity?

I would start by mapping the regulatory landscape in each target market, identifying key regulators and applicable frameworks. Then, I would prioritize jurisdictions based on business goals and regulatory clarity, engage early with regulators to understand their expectations, and build a phased licensing roadmap that aligns with product rollout while ensuring compliance.

Describe a time you navigated regulatory ambiguity to enable a business decision. What was your process?

In a previous role, we were launching a stablecoin product in Singapore. The regulatory framework was still evolving. I gathered multiple legal opinions, engaged with MAS through pre-application consultations, and developed a compliance framework that exceeded existing guidelines. This allowed the business to proceed with confidence, and later regulations aligned with our approach.

How do you stay ahead of regulatory changes in digital assets, and how do you translate them into actionable guidance for non-legal stakeholders?

I monitor regulatory announcements, participate in industry working groups, and maintain a network of experts. I distill complex changes into clear impact assessments, highlight key risks and opportunities, and present them in business-friendly language with recommended actions. I also create regular updates and training sessions for product and commercial teams.

Can you give an example of a successful partnership you enabled from a legal and regulatory perspective?

I advised on a partnership between my previous company and a major fintech to offer crypto payments. I led the regulatory due diligence, structured the agreement to mitigate compliance risks, and secured necessary approvals from regulators in three APAC markets. The partnership launched on time and generated significant revenue growth.

What is your experience with the FATF Travel Rule and how have you implemented it in practice?

I have implemented Travel Rule solutions by selecting and integrating with TRISA or similar protocols, updating KYC/KYB processes to capture required beneficiary information, and establishing procedures for secure data transmission. I also worked with cross-border teams to ensure consistency across jurisdictions with varying compliance timelines.

About Mesh

At Mesh, our mission is to enable consumers to pay and be paid with any asset. Today, trillions of dollars in tokenized assets exist but remain largely unusable for everyday commerce. Mesh is bridging this gap by making crypto payments reliable, useful, and ubiquitous. We combine a powerful orchestration engine with a seamless consumer app to unlock liquidity for the world. Backed by leading investors like PayPal Ventures, Paradigm, and Galaxy Ventures, we are building the infrastructure for the next era of the global economy. Join us!

Overview

Mesh is building the regulatory and payments infrastructure that will power the next generation of digital asset transactions across APAC. As our Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, you will play a central role in making that vision possible.

Working closely with the CEO APAC and global Legal and Compliance leadership, you will serve as a trusted advisor on some of the company’s most important commercial, product, and expansion decisions. From shaping market entry strategies to supporting enterprise partnerships and navigating emerging regulations across digital assets and payments, your work will have a direct impact on Mesh’s growth trajectory.

This is an opportunity for a builder who enjoys turning ambiguity into structure, creating practical solutions to complex regulatory challenges, and helping a fast-growing company unlock new opportunities across the region.

What You’ll Do

Own Mesh’s regulatory strategy across APAC. Lead the region’s licensing roadmap from defining regulatory positioning and activity classifications to driving licensing applications through to approval.
Build trusted regulatory relationships. Serve as Mesh’s primary legal counterpart with regulators across APAC, while developing and managing a network of top-tier external counsel in key markets.
Turn regulatory change into business decisions. Stay ahead of developments across digital assets, payments, stablecoins, VASP frameworks, and the Travel Rule, translating complex requirements into practical, decision-ready guidance.
Enable growth through strategic legal advice. Partner with business leaders on product structuring, market expansion, and commercial partnerships, while advising on agreements with exchanges, fintechs, payment providers, and financial institutions.
Represent Mesh in high-impact conversations. Join enterprise and strategic partnership discussions where regulatory credibility matters, providing confident, commercially minded legal leadership at the table.

Who You Are

Qualified lawyer with 10+ years of experience in financial services, fintech, payments, or digital assets.
Deep APAC regulatory expertise, including direct engagement with regulators such as MAS, HKMA, FSC, FSA, and other regional authorities, with experience navigating complex regulatory matters across multiple jurisdictions.
Strong understanding of digital assets, stablecoins, crypto payments, and related infrastructure, not just the regulatory frameworks, but how these systems operate in practice.
Experience advising on payments products, infrastructure, licensing, or regulatory regimes (e.g., MAS MPI, PSP and equivalent frameworks).
Comfortable operating in ambiguity, developing positions where precedent may not exist, and helping shape strategy in rapidly evolving regulatory environments.
Commercially minded and pragmatic, with the judgment to balance risk, growth, and partnership objectives while enabling the business to move forward.
Exceptional communicator who can translate complex legal and regulatory issues into clear, actionable guidance for executives, product, commercial, and operational teams.
Prior experience at a crypto exchange, fintech, neobank, payments company, or digital asset infrastructure provider is highly valued.
Familiarity with FATF Travel Rule requirements, VASP compliance frameworks, and cross-border digital asset regulation across APAC is a plus.
Existing relationships with APAC regulators, policymakers, or industry bodies are strongly preferred

Why You’ll Love It Here

At Mesh, you’re not stepping into a typical role—you’re joining a rocket ship in mid-liftoff. You’ll tackle complex, meaningful problems that actually move an industry forward, working alongside a sharp, motivated team that moves quickly, collaborates deeply, and expects everyone to operate with ownership. This is the kind of place where you’ll see your work ship fast, make real impact, and be able to point to something and say, “I built that.” You’ll grow fast, level up your skills, and get a front-row seat to how a high-growth company scales from the inside, with competitive comp, solid benefits, and room to stretch your craft all coming standard. If you’re energized by building, learning, and shaping something big—this is where you’ll want to be.

In-Office Expectations

Employees based in our San Francisco, New York, and Bangalore hubs are expected to work from the office at least 40% of the time (approximately two days per week). This expectation may vary slightly depending on role, team, and business needs. Certain roles that require closer cross-functional collaboration or operational support may have additional in-office requirements, which will be discussed during the interview process. Our hybrid approach is designed to balance meaningful in-person collaboration, team building, and real-time decision-making with the flexibility to work remotely. We believe this structure supports strong execution while preserving autonomy and focus time.

How We Care For Our Team

We believe great work happens when people feel valued and supported. That starts with competitive salary and equity that grows as you and the company grow, plus comprehensive health coverage for you and your family. We offer unlimited PTO—and we mean it. Take the time you need to recharge and show up at your best.

We’re invested in your growth with a dedicated budget for courses, conferences, and certifications. Work from wherever you’re most productive with our remote-friendly approach, and count on having the top-tier tools and equipment you need to do exceptional work.

Mesh Pay is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, genetic information, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, lawful alien status, national origin, age, marital status, and non-job related physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Apply now >