Role overview
Our client is a well-capitalised Abu Dhabi-based fintech group building a Sharia-compliant digital banking platform for launch in the UAE and selected international markets. With strong institutional backing and regulatory approval in progress, they are building out their legal function and are seeking a Corporate Lawyer to join as an early member of the in-house team.
Key responsibilities
- Provide day-to-day corporate and commercial legal support across the group as it moves from pre-launch through to full operational banking
- Advise on regulatory licensing, corporate structuring and governance matters in connection with the UAE Central Bank approval process and ongoing compliance
- Draft, review and negotiate commercial agreements across the group's product verticals including payments, wealth management and embedded finance
- Support fundraising, investor relations and strategic partnerships, including reviewing investment documentation and shareholder arrangements
- Advise on Sharia-compliant product structuring and the legal framework for Islamic financial services
- Work cross-functionally with product, technology, compliance and finance teams in a fast-moving environment
- Manage relationships with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions as the business expands regionally
Candidate profile
- Common law qualified with 5 to 10 years' PQE in corporate, commercial or financial services law
- Experienced in a combination of private practice and in-house, ideally with exposure to fintech, digital banking or financial services
- Comfortable with the pace of an early-stage business, with the ability to build processes and frameworks from scratch
- Familiar with UAE corporate law and regulatory frameworks, or bringing strong transferable experience from another major market
- Commercially sharp with the confidence to advise founders and senior leadership directly on a wide range of legal and business matters
- Interested in Islamic finance, digital banking and the intersection of technology and financial services
About Meyssa Legal
Meyssa Legal places lawyers across private practice and in-house roles in the UAE, with deep experience in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We work consultatively with leading firms, in-house teams, and senior counsel across banking and finance, disputes, corporate, regulatory, and TMT.
Our approach prioritises judgment over targets and discretion over volume. We brief every role in confidence, submit only candidates we genuinely believe fit, and treat every conversation as the start of a long-term relationship.
