Ben Gray Email & Phone Number

Washington, Dc, Us

Remote-First, Us

As General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, I lead Paxos' global legal, policy, securities, risk, and compliance teams (50+). Responsibilities include:- Leading teams of attorneys specializing in regulatory, privacy, product, corporate, commercial, tax, IP, employment, litigation, and legal operations in the blockchain space.- Helping to drive and oversee our anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, sanctions, consumer protection, anti-bribery and corruption, conduct risk, market manipulation, and securities compliance programs and teams.- Developing and deploying the company's overall public policy and government relations approach and key messaging.- Interacting with and managing Boards of Directors for Paxos and its subsidiaries and affiliates.- Establishing worldwide regulatory engagements and relationships.- Strategic advice on business direction and corporate structuring.- Executive leadership, key partner management, and crypto industry thought leadership.- Specialization in cryptocurrency exchanges, financial system infrastructure, stablecoins, tokenization, emerging blockchain technology, and decentralized finance.- Deep payments and regulatory expertise including: Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) screening, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)/Regulation E, remittance transfer rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, escheat/abandoned property laws, CFPB regulations, stored value and gift card laws, broker dealer regulations (FINRA), securities (SEC), commercial and consumer lending,, and payment network operating rules.

New York, New York, Us

We are an independent, invitation-only, peer community where TechGCs share knowledge / best practices and support each other throughout our lives and careers.

London, Gb

Independent Advisor providing guidance on international regulatory frameworks and opportunities to the Global Data Consortium (GDC), GDC's key clients, and to Compliance industry professionals.

Oakland, California, Us

Square rebranded as "Block" in December of 2021. Block became the parent company to Square, Cash App, TBD, and Tidal. I continued in my previous role as Global Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy General Counsel of all four brands.

San Francisco, Ca, Us

As Square Inc.'s Deputy General Counsel, Global Chief Compliance Officer, Bank Secrecy Act Officer, and payments regulatory in-house counsel, responsibilities include:- Managing Square's global compliance team, Board reporting, and program across Cash App, Seller, and TIDAL, 6 countries, an ILC Bank subsidiary (Square Financial Services) and ~250 personnel (reporting to General Counsel)- Counsel Team senior legal leadership role with consultation on employment, litigation, corporate governance, M&A, product counseling, IP, privacy, and commercial matters- Board appointed BSA/AML Officer responsible for the company's BSA compliance across all products- Scaling technical teams (engineering and data science)- Legal analysis of payments laws and regulations and compliance requirements across a broad range of hardware, software and SaaS products- Product development consultation from inception to launch- Ongoing licensing compliance, including managing regulatory examinations, applying for new licenses, and responding to requests from federal and state regulators- Analysis of laws, standards, and regulations as applied to Square's products, with expertise in state money transmitter laws and regulations, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) screening, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)/Regulation E, remittance transfer rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, escheat/abandoned property laws, CFPB regulations, stored value and gift card laws, broker dealer regulations (FINRA), commercial and consumer lending, cryptocurrency, and payment network operating rules- Review of financial institution partnership agreements and negotiations- Government relations consultation in connection with innovation in the payments industry and Square's role as a leading voice in the FinTech arena

San Francisco, Ca, Us

As Square's Global Chief Compliance Officer, Bank Secrecy Act Officer, and payments regulatory in-house counsel, responsibilities include:- Managing Square's global compliance team, Board reporting, and program across Cash App, Seller, and TIDAL, 6 countries, an ILC Bank subsidiary (Square Financial Services) and ~250 personnel (reporting to General Counsel)- Counsel Team senior legal leadership role with consultation on employment, litigation, corporate governance, M&A, product counseling, IP, privacy, and commercial matters- Board appointed BSA/AML Officer responsible for the company's BSA compliance across all products- Scaling technical teams (engineering and data science)- Legal analysis of payments laws and regulations and compliance requirements across a broad range of hardware, software and SaaS products- Product development consultation from inception to launch- Ongoing licensing compliance, including managing regulatory examinations, applying for new licenses, and responding to requests from federal and state regulators- Analysis of laws, standards, and regulations as applied to Square's products, with expertise in state money transmitter laws and regulations, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) screening, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)/Regulation E, remittance transfer rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, escheat/abandoned property laws, CFPB regulations, stored value and gift card laws, broker dealer regulations (FINRA), commercial and consumer lending, cryptocurrency, and payment network operating rules- Review of financial institution partnership agreements and negotiations- Government relations consultation in connection with innovation in the payments industry and Square's role as a leading voice in the FinTech arena

San Francisco, Ca, Us

As Square's lead payments and regulatory in-house counsel and Bank Secrecy Act Officer, responsibilities include:- Legal analysis of payments laws and regulations and compliance requirements across a broad range of hardware, software and SaaS products- Board appointed BSA/AML Officer responsible for the company's BSA compliance across all products- Product development consultation- Ongoing licensing compliance, including managing regulatory examinations, applying for new licenses, and responding to requests from federal and state regulators- Analysis of laws, standards, and regulations as applied to Square's products, with expertise in state money transmitter laws and regulations, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) screening, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)/Regulation E, remittance transfer rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, escheat/abandoned property laws, CFPB regulations, stored value and gift card laws, and payment network operating rules- Review of financial institution partnership agreements and negotiations- Government relations consultation in connection with innovation in the payments industry and Square's role as a leading voice in the FinTech arena

Washington, District Of Columbia, Us

Assist clients, including the nation’s largest technology companies, financial institutions, payment processors, and payment card networks with all aspects of financial services law practice, including payments law, enforcement actions, banking, and regulatory/risk analysis.Specialty in money transmitter licensing and ongoing compliance responsibilities on both a federal and state level- Draft state applications for money transmitter licensing- Advise clients on applicability of money transmitter laws and regulations to various business lines- Assist with Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) navigation, filing, and compliance- Monitor legislative developments that affect licensing procedures and reporting requirements- Expertise in state money transmitter laws and regulations, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) screening, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA)/Regulation E, remittance transfer rules under the Dodd-Frank Act, escheat/abandoned property laws, CFPB regulations, stored value and gift card laws, and payment network operating rulesImplement strategic product development plans for globally recognized brands and financial services productsDraft intercompany and agency agreements to define financial services roles and responsibilities

Washington, Dc, Us

- Evaluated FDIC member banks for compliance with federal regulations and statutes- Offered legal counsel and drafted opinions on matters of fair lending and responsible banking- Assisted in responding to comments for various FDIC rulemakings

Washington, D.C., Us

Investigator in the Office of Systemic Investigations- Investigated HUD-regulated lenders for compliance with federal mortgage regulations- Drafted pleadings, interrogatories, legal determinations, and conciliation agreements related to the enforcement of fair lending and anti-discrimination statutes- Assisted in the implementation and roll-out of HUD's LGBT Anti-Discrimination in housing rule

Washington, Dc, Us

- Evaluated federal and state-based legal impediments to voter registration- Strategized and researched methods for increasing voter participation in local and national elections- Developed initiatives for the adoption of mobile signatures for voter registration applications

Washington, Dc, Us

Felony Major Crimes Unit- Assisted the Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the prosecution of accused criminals in the 6th and 7th Districts of Washington, DC- Helped to interview witnesses and drafted legal documents associated with criminal prosecutions

J.D.

B.A., Political Science

Education record