Legal Counsel

NatWest Group

Managing Legal Counsel leading payments and digital assets legal strategy for a major bank. Advising stakeholders, regulators, and teams on evolving financial-services regulation and innovation.

Posted 8/17/2026full-timeEdinburgh • 🇬🇧 United KingdomMid-LevelSeniorWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive expertise in payments regulation and banking law, with a strong ability to provide legal advice on digital assets, open banking, and innovative payment solutions. Proven leadership in managing complex legal issues and developing high-performing teams within the financial services industry.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Payments Regulation ExpertiseBanking Law KnowledgeStakeholder ManagementLegal Strategy DevelopmentTeam Development and Mentoring

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Payments Legal StrategyDigital Assets RegulationLegal Risk AssessmentPayment Schemes KnowledgeOpen Banking UnderstandingRegulatory ComplianceHorizon ScanningTransaction ManagementCost Management ToolsAI-Enabled Solutions

Soft Skills

LeadershipCommunicationProactive ApproachInfluencing SkillsRelationship Building

Tools & Technologies

E-Billing SystemsCost Management ToolsAutomation Technologies

Industry Keywords

Financial ServicesDigital AssetsTokenisationStablecoinsCustodyProgrammable PaymentsRegulatory DevelopmentsMarket DevelopmentsStrategic Payments InitiativesAgentic AI

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Shape the legal strategy for the bank’s payments and digital assets activities
Lead the Payments Legal Centre of Expertise (CoE)
Coordinate delivery of legal advice across payments and digital assets activities
Advise senior stakeholders on regulation, industry developments, emerging technologies, and legal and regulatory risks
Support the development and launch of innovative products and services, including digital assets, tokenisation, stablecoins, custody, and programmable payments
Lead payments legal strategy and horizon scanning for regulatory, market, and technological developments
Provide expert advice on payment products, schemes, infrastructure, open banking, account-to-account payments, and strategic payments initiatives
Build relationships with regulators, industry bodies, advisers, and internal stakeholders
Communicate legal advice and help deliver transactions and projects in a commercial, user-friendly, and efficient manner
Drive process optimisation, technology, automation, and AI-enabled solutions
Develop and mentor legal colleagues and strengthen payments and digital assets expertise across LG&RA
Manage legal spend through e-billing, auctions, and other cost management tools

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experienced and ambitious senior lawyer
Deep knowledge of banking law and practice
Significant experience within the financial services industry
Extensive expertise in payments regulation
At minimum, a developing understanding of digital assets regulation gained in-house or within a leading law firm
Comfortable operating at a senior level and managing complex legal and regulatory issues
Industry-leading knowledge of payments regulation, payment schemes, and legal frameworks underpinning UK and international payment services
Understanding of emerging legal and regulatory developments affecting digital assets, open banking, future payment models, and agentic AI
Ability to identify, assess, and communicate complex legal and regulatory risks clearly and pragmatically
Experience influencing senior stakeholders and contributing to strategic business decisions
Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills
Experience developing and motivating high-performing teams
Proactive approach to horizon scanning, thought leadership, and sharing legal and market developments
Ability to identify strategically, legally, or reputationally important issues and determine how to address them

Benefits

Comp & perks

Remote-first working arrangement
Work from home some of the time
Collaboration with colleagues in the office at least one day per week