Ready to do the most impactful work of your career? At Coinbase, we are uncompromising on our mission to increase economic freedom. The bar is high, the environment is intense, and we like it that way. This isn't a place for complacency, it's a place to be pushed past your perceived limits. If you're ready to build the future of finance alongside people who refuse to settle for "good enough," you belong here. Coinbase is a remote-first, but not remote-only company. Expect to get together quarterly for intense in-person working sessions called "surges." learn more about working at Coinbase.
Coinbase is building its regulated presence in the Middle East, and this role sits at the center of that expansion. In this role, you'll drive Coinbase's regional crypto strategy, manage critical regulatory relationships, and build the operational foundation for our growing business. This is a rare opportunity to shape how crypto capital markets develop in one of the world's most strategically important financial centers.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and lead the locally based Abu Dhabi team, managing Coinbase's Middle East crypto business and ADGM legal entity while engaging senior regulators, clients, and industry stakeholders
- Drive the development and execution of Coinbase's UAE crypto strategy in close collaboration with the Dubai/VARA team
- Develop operational capacity to grow Coinbase's tokenization business and adjacent opportunities under ADGM
- Oversee strategic budgeting and resourcing to optimize business impact and ensure alignment with local and global financial frameworks
- Establish robust governance structures, including controls, compliance programs, and ethical leadership practices that align local operations with global standards
- Lead ongoing engagement with ADGM and FSRA, cultivating trusted relationships with senior regulators and key external stakeholders
- Champion Coinbase's culture within the entity, ensuring customer interests are appropriately prioritized and strategy aligns with Coinbase's global business model
Required Skills & Experience
- 7+ years of senior-level experience in financial services, including experience with securities
- Deep understanding of ADGM/FSRA regulatory requirements covering best execution, client assets, custody, market conduct (FSMR, COBS, MIR), and AML frameworks
- Proven track record in operational oversight, including policies and procedures development and monitoring of day-to-day business activities
- Strong understanding of how regulated financial services functions operate (Compliance, Finance, Risk, Treasury, Audit, Outsourcing)
- Demonstrated ability to influence and drive alignment across senior, peer, and junior stakeholders regionally and globally
- Sound judgment in assessing and escalating risk, with excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills
- Experience building and maintaining strong relationships with regulators, specifically ADGM and FSRA
- Familiarity with the crypto/Web3 landscape, including tokenization, DeFi, and digital asset markets
- Utilizes AI responsibly, maintaining human oversight to deliver business-ready outputs and drive measurable improvements in workflow efficiency, cost, and quality.
P78324
Pay Transparency Notice: The target annual base salary for this position can range as detailed below. Total compensation may also include equity and bonus eligibility and benefits (including medical, dental, and vision).
Annual base salary range (excluding equity and bonus)
730,000 د.إ - 730,000 د.إ AED
- Application Limit: Candidates may submit a maximum of 3 applications within a 6-month period.
Applicants with criminal histories will be considered consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
- Accommodations: If you are an individual with a disability who needs a reasonable accommodation, email us your request and contact info at accommodations[at]coinbase.com..
- Data Privacy & Arbitration: By submitting your application, you agree to our. US applicants: By submitting your application, you agree to Arbitration of Disputes.
About Coinbase
Coinbase, founded in 2012 by Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam in San Francisco, is the largest US-listed crypto exchange (NASDAQ: COIN) with 110M+ verified users and $300B+ quarterly traded volume. Products span retail, Advanced Trade, Wallet self-custody, Base L2 and institutional prime. Public since 2021, Coinbase drives US policy engagement and proof-of-reserves standards. The bar is high for security thinking, regulatory judgment and shipping consumer-grade crypto products. As the premier US-listed digital asset platform, Coinbase sets industry standards for security architecture, regulatory engagement, and developer-first Web3 ecosystem scaling. Coinbase recruits across engineering, risk compliance, product design, and business development to expand compliant Web3 financial services.