Director - Legal Counsel - Retail Bank ( HKD1.8-2m base+ bonus)

Level: Director

Sector: Hong Kong licensed retail virtual bank

Team structure: 3 people



Must have's

- Retail Bank experience

- Leadership/people management experience

- PQE 5-8 years

- HK qualified

Role Overview

We are seeking a seasoned Legal Counsel at Director level to join the in-house legal team of a well-established Hong Kong retail virtual bank. This role will own end-to-end legal advisory for frontline retail banking business, digital products and consumer banking initiatives. You will partner closely with business, compliance, product and tech teams to launch digital banking services, manage regulatory changes and mitigate legal risks.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide commercial and regulatory legal advice across retail banking products, including deposit accounts, personal loans, credit facilities, payment services, card products and wealth propositions.
• Draft, review and negotiate customer terms, product agreements, vendor contracts, technology and service arrangements for digital banking operations.
• Support new product launches, feature rollouts and market campaigns, conducting legal risk assessment before go-live.
• Monitor and interpret HKMA and relevant Hong Kong banking, consumer protection, data privacy and anti-money laundering regulatory requirements.
• Lead legal review of marketing materials, customer communications and digital user journeys to ensure compliance.
• Handle customer legal queries, escalated complaints and support dispute resolution where necessary.
• Work with compliance, risk and internal audit to maintain robust governance framework and legal registers.
• Mentor junior legal executives, contribute to legal policies, precedents and knowledge management.

Requirements

• Qualified lawyer in Hong Kong (HK Law Society admitted); overseas qualification with Hong Kong practising certificate preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years relevant legal experience, with substantial in-house retail / virtual banking experience.
• Solid track record advising on HKMA regulated banking business, consumer banking, payments and data privacy (PDPO).
• Hands-on experience supporting digital banking, app-based products and fintech initiatives is a strong advantage.
• Commercial mindset, able to balance legal risk appetite with business delivery timeline.
• Strong drafting skills, fluent in written and spoken English and Cantonese; Mandarin a plus.
• Comfortable working in an agile, fast-paced digital banking environment.

Originally posted on Himalayas