Regulatory & Licensing Counsel (Trading & Derivatives)

At Anchorage Digital, we are building the world’s most advanced digital asset platform for institutions to participate in crypto. Anchorage Digital is a crypto platform that enables institutions to participate in digital assets through custody, staking, trading, governance, settlement, and the industry's leading security infrastructure. Home to Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., the first federally chartered crypto bank in the U.S., Anchorage Digital also serves institutions through Anchorage Digital Singapore, Porto by Anchorage Digital, and other offerings. The company is funded by leading institutions including Andreessen Horowitz, GIC, Goldman Sachs, KKR, and Visa, with its Series D valuation over $3 billion. Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, California, Anchorage Digital has offices in New York, New York; Porto, Portugal; Singapore; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Learn more at anchorage.com, on X @Anchorage, and on LinkedIn.

With the evolving landscape of digital threats and an increasing volume of sophisticated attacks by malicious actors, we have a security policy mandating all new hires complete an in-person onboarding process - no exceptions. Security is our foundation and we prioritize physical identity verification and secure IT setup. While our security and IT logistics require physical presence to protect our infrastructure from sophisticated global threats, this move is equally about our Village culture. We believe that a laptop can be shipped, but our culture cannot.

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Regulatory Licensing Attorney to join our dynamic Legal team. In this pivotal role, you will serve as the firm’s primary subject matter expert on CFTC and NFA firm-level licensing, guiding the business through the end-to-end registration lifecycle and the evolving regulatory landscape of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). Operating at the intersection of legal strategy and commercial reality in the fast-paced crypto space, you will provide critical legal counsel on OTC and cleared derivatives, margin lending, and privacy considerations for new business lines, balancing regulatory compliance with the firm's strategic objectives.
We have created the Factors of Growth & Impact to help Villagers better measure impact and articulate coaching, feedback, and the rich and rewarding learning that happens while exploring, developing, and mastering the capabilities and contributions within and outside of the Member of Legal, Trading & Licensing role:

Technical Skills:

Regulatory Advisory: Serve as the primary legal expert on the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and NFA Rules, advising the firm on the obligations associated with being a licensed firm.

Licensing & Registration Management: Lead the end-to-end strategy for obtaining and maintaining regulatory licenses, including managing the registration lifecycle and navigating complex exemption frameworks.

Margin Lending Arrangements: Draft, review, and negotiate complex margin lending agreements with sophisticated institutional counterparties.

Contract Drafting & Negotiation: Draft, review, and negotiate specialized regulatory agreements, including ISDA/CSA documentation, and disclosure documents required for regulatory compliance.

Complexity and Impact of Work:

Cross-Functional Integration: Partner with Trading, Operations, Risk, and Engineering teams to embed CFTC/NFA compliance requirements directly into trading workflows and platform architecture.

Regulatory Horizon Scanning: Proactively monitor and interpret shifts in CFTC mandates and NFA interpretive notices, advising the executive team on necessary pivots to business strategy.

Audit & Examination Leadership: Lead the legal response to regulatory inquiries and NFA examinations, managing the preparation, document production, and strategic communication with regulators.

High-Stakes Problem Solving: Act as a prolific individual contributor on complex projects, such as launching new derivative asset classes or navigating cross-border regulatory shifts.

Risk Mitigation: Drive the development of internal "Rules-to-Workflow" frameworks to prevent regulatory breaches, ensuring the firm’s "right to operate" remains uncompromised.

Organizational Knowledge:

Strong understanding of Anchorage Digital’s strategy to successfully lead regulatory licensing projects while taking into consideration the goals of the team you are supporting.

As progress is made on the licensing applications, making sure knowledge is shared across the appropriate teams .

Ability to prioritize work based on company’s goals and communicate the ‘why’ behind your work.

Communication and Influence:

Build close cross-functional relationships with product, engineering, operations, and other teams to develop new products, improve existing businesses, identify and resolve legal issues, structure complex agreements, and improve efficiency.

Strong communication skills (internally and externally)

Ability to be client-facing while working with cross-functional teams on multiple projects internally

You may be a fit for this role if you have:

J.D. degree with a focus on financial services, commodities, or corporate law.

4+ years of experience practicing law, with at least 3+ years specifically focused on CFTC and NFA regulatory matters.

Deep knowledge and practical experience with the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and the Dodd-Frank Act (Title VII).

Technical proficiency in derivatives, including a solid understanding of OTC products, margin lending, and the legal life cycle of futures and swaps.

Excellent communication, drafting, and negotiation skills, with specific experience handling ISDA/CSA documentation or clearing agreements.

Demonstrated experience working closely with the business and cross-functional teams (Trading, Engineering, and Risk) to build new financial products, solve complex jurisdictional issues, and strategize for scale.

Enthusiasm for crypto and a foundational understanding of how digital assets intersect with CFTC/NFA jurisdiction and the evolving global regulatory landscape.

Demonstrated experience with close attention to detail and the ability to manage complex licensing applications and regulatory audits simultaneously.

The ability to execute with moderate supervision, balancing aggressive commercial growth targets with the necessity of rigorous legal and regulatory compliance.

Previous in-house legal experience at a fintech firm, hedge fund, major financial institution, or a specialist regulatory practice at a top-tier law firm.

Familiarity with market infrastructure, including electronic trading platforms, central clearing, and the operational complexities of margin and collateral management.

Although not a requirement, bonus points if:

You were emotionally moved by the soundtrack to Hamilton, which chronicles the founding of a new financial system. :)

About Anchorage Digital: Who we are The Anchorage Village, what we call our team, brings together the brightest minds from platform security, financial services, and distributed ledger technology to provide the building blocks that empower institutions to safely participate in the evolving digital asset ecosystem. As a diverse team of more than 600 members, we are united in one common goal: building the future of finance by providing the foundation upon which value moves safely in the new global economy. Anchorage Digital is committed to being a welcoming and inclusive workplace for everyone, and we are intentional about making sure people feel respected, supported, and connected at work—regardless of who you are or where you come from. We value and celebrate our differences and we believe being open about who we are allows us to do the best work of our lives. Anchorage Digital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. Anchorage Digital considers qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with other legal requirements. “Anchorage Digital” refers to services that are offered either through Anchorage Digital Bank National Association, an OCC-chartered national trust bank, or Anchorage Lending CA, LLC a finance lender licensed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, License No. 60DBO-11976, or Anchorage Digital Singapore Pte Ltd, a Singapore private limited company, all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Anchor Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Protecting your privacy rights is important to Anchorage Digital, and we work to maintain the trust and confidence of our clients when handling personal or financial information. Please see our privacy policy notices here.